When our daughter, Jennifer, was about 1 1/2 we decided to have another baby. I got pregnant the first try. The doctor said everything was fine and gave us a due date of May 7, 1970. I had a very uneventful pregnancy except for gaining so much weight. Back then there were not sonograms to tell what was going on. For awhile, the doctor thought I was going to have twins, but by the fourth month she said there was only one big baby. Everything was great!!! I only had evening sickness which didn't last very long. The hardest thing was being so big and chasing a 1 1/2 year old toddler!!!! Thankfully my Mama was with me to help out on the hard days.
Well, the 9th month came and no sign of a baby and the doctor said it didn't look like it would be within the next few days. I laughed and told her my husband's birthday was May 21. She said you will go before then. But my little birthday surprise decided to be his Daddy's gift. At 2:45 A.M., May 21, my water broke and at 4:49 A.M. he came out singing Happy Birthday to his Daddy at the top of his lungs. All 9 lbs.10 1/2 oz. & 22 1/2 in. of the most beautiful little boy I had ever seen!!! What a gift!!!! Back then the Daddys weren't even allowed to hold their babies so he was 3 days old before he actually got to meet his Daddy man to man.
Eric seemed to fit into the family just right. He had his days when he was collicky and those were hectic for everyone. But other than that, he was the picture of health.
My favorite times with him were rocking and singing the Carpenter's song, "Close to You." The part I would always sing was "On the day that you were born, the angels got together and decided to create a dream come true, so they sprinkled moondust in your hair and golden starlight in your eyes so blue." It seemed to fit him so well. I still have that old record in his memory box. When you would sing or talk to him, he would smile real big and had a deep dimple in his left cheek and also his chin. He definately was a little charmer!!!
The day he turned 3 months old, he and Jennifer both got colds and I took them to the doctor. He gave them some antibiotics which cleared Jennifer's up overnight. But Eric seemed to get worse. On August 24 we put him in the hospital and he was said to have a lower left lung infection. They put him under an oxygen tent and it seemed like every hour they gave him a shot. His little thighs were so bruised from the injections. The next day his breathing somewhat better and he seemed to notice me when I would sing to him. But it was shortlived. The next morning, his left lung burst and they had to put a tube in his chest to draw out the fluid & air. It was then they told us he had Staph Pneumonia. We knew a staph infection was going around in the pediatric ward because a little boy had lost his leg due to a motorcycle wreck and had a staph infection. But we were told all precautions were being taken to protect other patients. The last day of my little boy's life was so unbelievable. I'll never forget the grunting noise he took with each breath. He sounded like a little animal. Then at 10:30 P.M., August 26, 1970, his right lung burst and our baby was gone forever. We chose not to see or hold him because we wouldn't be able to give him up. I was hospitalized and unable to attend the closed coffin graveside service.
The only thing I can think of now is what is written on his plaque, "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep."
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