We were so excited to have our little one with us at last. It was wonderous to experience life through Julene’s eyes. We cheered her on and rejoiced in each accomplishment such as sitting, picking things up. It was especially great that she soon learned how to not pull her own hair!
Garret took some time off from work after Julene was born and painted our trailer yellow. He set her seat by an open door firmly stating that she was safe because she couldn’t move yet. I looked down the hall just in time to see Julene wiggling out of her little seat and heading for a three foot onto the cement. We had learned our first lesson on parenting - never underestimate what your child can do.
Alone with the joys, we also learned that a baby is a lot of work. I had expected babies to sleep a lot, but Julene only slept a few hours a day and only when it was completely dark and quiet in her own bed which made her very difficult to take anywhere. Also, Julene cried for weeks as each tooth came in.
Julene made holidays so special! We cut out a jack-o-lantern for her first Halloween. For Christmas we dressed her in a little red & white striped suit and loved watching her open her presents. We went to visit her Grandma and Grandpa Pearson (Lew and Arlene Pearson) in Lafayette, California that Christmas.
While Garrett was gone in the evenings, I made our wedding book and Julene’s baby book. In January, I was expecting David and was quite nauseous. I could only eat if I didn’t cook the food, so Garrett sometimes fixed shrimp dinners for us (the only dinner he could cook). We generally ate at McDonalds most days right before Garrett had to leave for work. They even came to know my order - a big Mac.
Julene was our joy. She loved reading stories together, and helping Daddy study. She played on the floor and our cat, Fred, who was her buddy. Since our trailer was so small, Julene could easily walk around the room by holding onto the furniture, consequently, she seemed to have little interest in crawling which she never did. Julene loved music and would hold onto the sofa and dance. She enjoyed feeding herself and playing with her food. She also liked wearing pretty dresses and especially being with Mommy and Daddy.
I made her a dress to match mine for Easter. For her birthday I made a cake ,and we gave her presents. It was hard to imagine how much joy she had brought into our lives and hearts in just one year.
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