...When You Were Born

Happy Birthday, Son!  I seems like yesterday that I was crying for joy at your arrival and yet just months ago I cried as I watched you with your own newborn son. Time only deepens the love we have for our children, as we see what wonderful people they become. You have become someone I admire and respect and am so pleased to be related to. What a privilege to be your mom.

I got an idea from Bekka a bit ago, after she asked me about the details of when she was born, that I should tell you each the story of your birth. It was too late to blog her story on her birthday, but I decided that on your next birthday I would tell you each what I remember about your birth. The story is at the end of the blog, but first a few pictures from when you were just a little boy.

Summer 1983

1984 - Age 1

1985 - Age 2 1/2

1986 - Age 3 1/2

 1988 - Age 5 1/2 - 1st grade

1989 - Age 6 1/2 - 2nd grade

1990 - Age 7 1/2 - 3rd grade

 

 1991 - Age 8 1/2 - 4th grade

1992 - Age 9 1/2 - 5th grade

 

Was it  really 28 years ago that we headed to Holy Rosary Hospital in Ontario, trying to decide if this was really the day our third child would make its appearance? Hard to tell after three weeks of false labor, but off we went, leaving two big sisters to wonder whether they'd soon have a new sister or a brother.  I was only 25, John 29. I read magazines and wondered if anyone remembered I was supposed to be in labor while John talked shop with Dr. Daniels and whoever else wandered through. As one of the doctors who worked there, John knew almost everyone, and it seemed they all wanted to drop by and wish us luck.  Sadly, visiting was the only thing going on and by bedtime, Dr. Daniels decided to turn off the pit drip and let me sleep.

We started again the next morning with a higher dose of pit and it finally became apparent that baby #3 was on the way. We were trying the hospital's new birthing chair, so on the way to the delivery room we made guesses about the birth weight. Soon thereafter I found that I'd called it exactly right at 8 pounds even and that we had our first son, born at 11:54 a.m. on February 13, 1983.  After tears of joy, multiple exclamations of "It's a boy!" and calls to daughters and parents, we settled back in our room with our newest child.

It turns out you weren't hungry and I was starving, so I ate lunch while John rocked you in the chair nearby. I can still remember that even green jello tastes delicious when you're ravenous. Continuing the tradition of trying to wear off what little hair our babies have with multiple kisses, John cuddled you and wondered what we would call this first (and as it turns out, only) Dockum male of the next generation.   As we ate and talked, we tried traditional names, family names, names of friends, and none seemed to fit. I really liked Daniel, but you simply were not Daniel. From our experience with Nanette and Nollie we felt that we had to find the name that fit you. Remember this was years before it became popular, or even easy to know the sex of the child and pick a name before its arrival.

Finally we remembered finding a name we liked while scrolling through genealogy films in the basement of the old church office building in SLC before we even had kids. We still don't know if the Ricker Dockum we found was related to us, but we liked the way it sounded with the Dutch surname Dockum. We chose Nielsen as a middle name as there were no sons to carry on the Danish surname of my grandma. Rikker Nielsen Dockum, because I liked the way it looked written with two k's. We've since found that you have a distant ancestor named Ricker Dockum who shares the same Ricker lineage of an even more distant grandmother and you've visited the Ricker family cemetery in Poland, Maine. You were supposed to be named Rikker.

We joyfully took you home the next day to be welcomed by two older sisters. They not-so-gently loved you, played with you and even taught you to read at age four as you were recruited to play school with them. You learned to be gentle so as not to hurt the girls and continually surprised us with how different boys are than girls. You've shared your room with three younger sisters in turn, did your share of teasing, and later carried on as the head of the house when the situation abruptly presented itself. We have appreciated your humor, your blessings and your example as a husband and dad to your own little family.  We love you!