November 10, 1981 announcement (written February of 1982 in retrospect):
Oh my word! I can’t believe I forgot this! It happened on Jennifer’s (11th ) birthday on Nov. 10. (I mean we got the news then). Jenny excitedly opened one of her presents and she read it and started jumping around yelling, “Oh boy! Just what I wanted!!” I kept yelling “What! What! What is it!” Jenny showed me the card and it read, “On May 13 you will have a new baby brother or sister!!!” We passed the card around so everyone could read it and we were all laughing. We hoped for a girl but the amtesase (or however you spell it) (amniocentesis) showed it would be a boy! Oh well! Better, than nothing! We are all excited for him!
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I sure that will make you feel great that you were "better than nothing," ha ha (coming from a 13 girl wanting another baby sister). But in all truth, after everything our family had been through, I doubt any family was more nervous, excited, and thrilled than our family was to be having another baby on the way!!
A few more...
June 6, 1982: Derek was blessed today! All of the cousins came to watch. He looked so cute. After the blessing Dad held him up and then Derek lifted up his head and then it fell, kerplunk! Then the cousins came over and ate dinner here.
October 2: Derek has started learning forward all the time in his swing now, he looks so funny! Twice he fell asleep leaning forward with his head on the tray. He even chews and sucks on the tray.
October 4: Derek’s getting a little more hair now but not much! It goes down on the top of him head and curls up in back, it looks cute. He is starting to laugh now and sounds funny and cute. He makes lots of noises too. (Has conversations with himself) full of goos and gurgles.
Jen added some memories as well ...
... and these pictures are from my childhood photo album. I might have taken the originals back in the day. I don't believe these are in Dropbox, and I'm wondering if any of you have seen these ones before!
I don't think I was keeping a journal at this age, but I remember this. For quite a while I said Derek was MINE because of this ... I got him for my birthday (just had to wait for delivery). I remember thinking we'd keep him flexible (as he could so easily touch his toes and such) ... but I think baby bodies are just proportioned differently! I remember trying to get him to say his own name properly~
Say "Der" (he'd say "Der")
Say "Ick" (he'd say "Ick)
We'd do it a little faster ...
Say "Der" (he'd say "Der")
Say "Ick" (he'd say "Ick)
Say Derek ... he'd yell "gigick"
... but of course, then we called him Dunk
Mom added a few more memories ...
Funny! Yes, I do remember him calling himself "gigick" and us calling him Dunk, though I am not sure where that came from. Remember how instead of sucking his thumb, he sucked his middle two fingers? I remember you telling him something like: "Yuck, if you are going to do that, at least wash your hands first!" And Wendy telling you, "Don't tell him that----it is just condoning it!" And remember how he would breathe so loud, if we ever couldn't find him, we would just listen, and find him asleep down in Chris's basement bedroom. We called him "Darth Vador" because that's how he sounded. We got his tonsils out at age 5 to solve the breathing problem and bought "The Little Mermaid" movie for him to watch. (Further tonsil memories ...Scott and Wendy got their tonsils out together and stayed one night at the hospital. Jeni and Shane got their tonsils out together and stayed one night at the hospital. Both times the younger child (abt. age 5) recovered much quicker than the older child.)
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