April's extended family

Today's blog is about the extended family that surrounded April. We gathered for Christmas, Easter, summer camping, birthdays and other holidays. That's when memories are made and pictures record them.

Jim & April. The best man in my wedding was my brother, Jim. We were very close and the reason that there are a lot of pictures of his son, Kelly, along with April in this blog is that we got together often - even though he lived in Sheboygan and we lived in Milwaukee. Jim died in a car accident 18 months after April died.

Godparents for April were Tom and Linda Mastaler of Newport News, VA. We met the Mastalers when Butch was working in Columbia, SC at an Allis-Chalmers lift truck plant in 1979. They followed us back to Milwaukee. Al & Jan Rutkowski, of IL & IN, were subletting our apartment while we were in SC. Both families remain special friends to this day.

Grandma Jean and grandpa John Wiggin attended April's baptism, 7-19-1981.

April had an extra grandpa who lived upstairs (Earl Kraus). She is standing on Bobby & Earl's son-in-law, Ray. Ray and Kathy lived in Canada.

April had an extra grandma (Bobby Kraus) who lived upstairs. She loved to bake terrific stuff that we enjoyed eating. Joan & Butch visited Bobby and Kathy in Sarnia, Canada, in 2008. Bobby still looks the same 29 years later.

There are 11 people in this pic. Santa, Scott Stegemeyer, Kelly, Ryan, Sarah, Joan,

April, Becky, Barb and Ron & Berny in back. 1981

All dressed up for some reason. Who does that anymore?

Butch, April, Becky & new cousin Joey.

Aunt Marie, cousins Becky, Ryan & Kelly, Dad & April.

This was before TV & video games.

Joan, JoAnn, April Kelly & Carl.

Another birthday gathering...
Kim Hintzelman, Becky Wolf, Joey & grandma, Marie & Ryan Wolf, Kelly H, Butch & April

Somebody's b-day... Jennifer or April?

Joan, April, Jennifer & Jack Wiggin, Miles Capron.

Thumb Sucker

This is thumb-in-the-mouth April & Joan...

April has two aunt Barb's, this is aunt Barb Stegemeyer with husbnd Berny.

... this is aunt Barb Capron, Joan's sister.

April eating toys and Elizabeth Watts playing with them.

Joan and April and Katy and Elizabeth at lunch time.

Everything went in April's mouth. Two of those things were Joan since she was the lunch-wagon from early on. Another favorite was her thumb, of course. Especially when she was tired, frustrated or unsure. We teased her about it by asking for her thumb. She would smile, laugh, and then offer you her thumb.

Since April always had something in her mouth you may think that we didn't feed her enough. At five months Joan started making her own baby food. And as she developed teeth she was able to eat plastic and stuff.

CJH

Three happy campers

1982 - bath time for Butch & April in our new Jayco camper.

1982 - Carl & Joey, Joan & April at Mauthe Lake State Park.

1981 - Jim, Kim, Kelly, Angie,dad, mom, Joan and April.

We camped with April for two summers. She died at the end of August, 1982, just a few days from going camping with Jack, Jean & Jennifer.

During her first summer with April just a few months old, the 6'x6' tent was replaced by a rented camper for vacation at Mauthe Lake with a whole bunch of Hintzelmans - Jim, Kim, Kelly, Angie, mom, dad and us three.

During the next summer Joey was a new addition for my brother and Kim and our new addition was a pop-up Jayco camper.

Camping lead to many bumps and bruises and mosquito bites. A number of bumps resulted from climbing onto the picnic table bench and then falling off. She was proud to stand and walk the bench but since that was discouraged she mostly sat on the edge and watched mom. She ate dinner while sitting in her own lawn chair and used the bench as her table.

In the camper she had one wing to herself. She would sit on her suitcase and look out of the screen instead of napping.

April was born

Parent dinner 4/20/91 - toasting champagne at parent dinner in Joan's room. Stuffed pork chops, rice, salad & carrot cake.

Easter Sunday 4/18/81 - April in easter egg outfit made by hospital volunteers.

April was one hour old in the recovery room. (This was before birthing rooms.) Dad was not the doctor but was a breathing consultant and massage specialist.

Joan's labor began on Good Friday, 4/17, while she was sewing crib bumpers pads and drapes. Butch was sure the baby was going to be a boy and he was busy making a wood "CJ" wall hook.

When we arrived at West Allis Memorial Hospital at 9:00 PM Joan was dilated to 4 cm. Labor was difficult with extreme back pain - called back labor. Dr Foley delivered April at 12:15 AM on Saturday, 4/18/1981, and placed her on mom's tummy. Dad cut the umbilical cord.

Stats: 6 lb 1 oz, 20" long

Easter came the next day and she was wrapped in a pink Easter egg blanket. The first night after being discharged on Tuesday, 4/12, she slept in a bassinet in her parent's room. We were nervous parents and reacted to her every move which did not allow anyone the proper rest. After that the bassinet and April moved to another room.

Next post: Becoming a happy camper.

Our Story of April Lynn

April Lynn Hintzelman was with us for just over 16 months. After she died in a "safety gate" accident Joan & I traveled to Door County, WI and wrote about our time together. We wrote the following in September 1982 and haven't looked at it until today, 4/17/10, almost 28 years later.

Why share this now? Because we want to remember her and to share this part of our lives that many don't know. Social media allows us to share this with those who are interested while cutting down the emotional toll of repeating the story.

Today is one day before her 29th birthday. April was born April 18th, 1981 at West Allis Memorial Hospital in Milwaukee. She died at home at 522 S. 76th St, Milwaukee, WI. on August 29, 1982.

Tent camping at Mauthe Lake State Park in July 1980 was certainly the origin for our first of three daughters.

More to follow.

(This blog was started at posterous and was moved here after three days.)