Random Memories of April

Three more posts and I'll be finished telling our story of April. Our random memories, how she died, and what happened since will complete the blog. Getting on with random memories - which are mostly taken from a journal we wrote in Sept 1982.

Pots and pans:
We had safety locks on most of the cupboard doors but not on this one. We let her play with the pots and pans. It's probably a woman thing. Oh, and now that I look at this picture I realize that a grater should not be a toy.



Sun Glasses:
April felt like a movie star in her sun glasses. She'd only put them on for a half minute at a time but she wore a big grin and felt so proud of herself every time she did so.

Crawling:
April didn't like to crawl. We tried tossing her favorite plastic keys in front of her but that didn't work well. At 5 months we put her into a walker. Initially she just stood there but then she discovered that pushing backwards got her to move. She loved to follow the vacuum around - which made cleaning a little more difficult for mom.
Walking:
Shunning toys she became dedicated to standing. At nine months her first stand was in the bathroom holding onto the tub. Soon she pulled herself up on the TV stand and stood there wobbling for long periods. She was walking by 11 months.
Swimming:
We took her swimming before she was born. And she learned to swim in the womb. She had no fear of deep water at the local pools or when camping. Mom and dad learned to sing "The wheels on the bus go round and round" in swimming class. And that's all you really need to know in order to swim. At Mauthe Lake she'd sit in shallow water and collect stones, which she placed in her frisbee and pail. She thought sand was food... but only for two days. She learned quick-like.
Cousins:
She had lots of older cousins that fascinated her. There was Sarah and Becky who liked to treat her like their baby and hold her. And Kelly and Ryan played the clowns. They'd jump, fall, make faces and anything to make her giggle.
Books:
Books were her favorite toy. She liked to turn the pages and verbally pretend to be reading. Her favorite book was a zoo guide book with lots of animal pictures.
Eating:
April was a good eater. Her two big delights were cookies and grapes. She liked to pick the grapes off the stem almost more than eating them. The word "cookie" was one of her first words. She had a ton of fun putting her hand into the cookie jar and pulling one out. Just the process of touching a cookie brought a grin from ear-to-ear.
Thumb sucking & security blanket:
Her white thermal blanket was very crucial to her at nap and bed time. With her thumb in her mouth she would rub the satin trim of the blanket between her fingers.
Peek-a-boo & chase:
April enjoyed playing peek-a-boo with her blanket - especially while her diaper was being changed. With her blanket over her head mom would call her name and she'd pretend to be hiding, then would uncover her face and reveal a huge smile and giggle.
Dad would chase her down the hallway and her legs would turn to jelly and she'd collapse before making it to mom. She'd squeel with laughter as dad ate her up.
Words:
April spoke these words:
Ma
Mom
Dad
Cookie
Outside, or "side"
Kittycat
Hi!
Book

Next post: What happened.