Our History - 1974 David is Born

 By Cheryl Groom Merrick

Garrett was excited that our baby was nearly here and cheerfully called me a “lamplighter”. I was not as cheery as I had to walk around the maternity ward pushing a pole which held a glucose bag and had the other end of the IV stuck in my hand to give me nourishment. I glared at people who innocently asked which of the babies in the nursery was mine. Finally, David just came on September 6, 1974 in Provo, Utah. There was never really any labor. The doctor just pulled him out. David calmly looked around in the early morning light and seemed happy to have more room. I was glad too that he now had more room since he had been painfully pushing on my ribs for weeks.

When we brought David home, Garrett began working nights. He was never able to adjust to being awake all night. Another problem was that David cried at night-- a lot! The doctor said that he had an immature digestive system. When he ate solid foods, which were started at two months in those days, he cried most of the night, consequently none of us got much sleep. Garrett was often ill.

David was an unusual baby. He could do full press pushups in the hospital. He hated to be held even to be fed. He did better if he was given a bottle to hold. When you carried him he pushed away, so he was hard to hold. He loved being with his toys, but had little interest in people. He would look away. When he was a little older, whenever he was looked at, he would stand on his toes, say “uho”, and point away from himself. He didn’t like even being looked at. What he loved was movement! He loved jumping in his jumper which we attached to the ceiling and cried when we wouldn’t allow him to always stay there. When we pushed him in the stroller, he had to stand up and jump up and down. It was tough to push a bouncing stroller! We had to repair the seat since it couldn’t take all his jumping up and down.

David’s feet turned in which seems to be an inheritance from his dad. At night we had to put a leg brace on David to help turn his feet outward. The metal bar attached to both of his shoes. It made a great hobble and kept him in his crib which he could get out of at only a few months old.

David was very competitive. He insisted on doing whatever his sister who was over a year older could do. This was a real blessing because it encouraged him to relate to people and talk. He was nearly as large as Julene, who was very small and delicate, and stronger than her even when he was only a few months old, so we had to constantly watch him so he didn’t hurt her.

David loved climbing on his dad, doing things, and playing with toys, especially anything that moved such as his walker, rocking horse, and trike. He loved being outside, playing in the small pool, and going for strolls. He loved his ducky shirt and insisted on having some animal on all his clothes which is why I had to sew small appliques of animals on some of his clothes.