Susan was surprised that the pains continued but I was enchanted by our surprisingly quiet son. He was small, red, and had plenty of dark brown hair. I walked with Susan to the hall, called her our parents, and carried Andrew in my arms to the nursery where he was measured and his fingers counted. He was 6 pounds even and 18 1/2 inches long.
The next morning Andrew was brought to us wrapped in a Christmas stocking by the nurses and told that we could take him [home] in it. Christmas morning we arrived at the Barrus home right on time to open presents with our most wonderful present wrapped in that Christmas stocking.
During the next few days, we juggle between home and the hospital. Even though we were blessed to have had him [Andrew] during my break from school, I was left alone to complete the Christmas preparations. We arranged to bring Susan to her father's home where her sisters were waiting to praise or accomplishment. After the Christmas celebration, we went to Provo where Susan remained to raise Andrew and I began school at BYU.
I was blessed with a good job at [the] BYU Residential Housing Office and lucky to be accepted into the new program without any wait. My mother had also been blessed with a new son only three weeks after Andrew joined our family; he was somewhat of a surprise, but we welcomed him just the same. When they were both old enough, arrangements were made to bless them on the same day in different wards.
Our home was located at 1987 Nevada Circle in Provo, Utah. The area proved to be more expensive than our budget could bear. Our savings begin to dwindle and by the end of April we had no money, and we moved to Wymount Terrace (married student housing on campus). Our first apartment there was 10C 582 that we sub-letted from friends while they farmed through the summer.
Andrew grew but didn't learn to sleep through the night. He was a happy and beautiful baby boy who lost his brown hair left (just like Dad!) and continued to bring great joy into our home. When we were first trying to decide on a name for him, Susan came up with Amy or Andrew and rejected the idea of using Joy or Charles as middle names. I agreed that the names were acceptable and I set my mind to please Susan. When it came time to complete a name on a birth certificate, I was taken back when Susan had some reservations about using the name Andrew Thomas Curtis that I was allowing her to use.
Once we were home in Provo, Chris, Susan's sister, came and spent a few nights as her mother had always done for other girls. Andrew would get up every two hours to be changed and fed. We enjoyed having him around even though he allowed us little sleep. But as he grew and became stronger and more alert we grew to love him even more. He would smile and lift his head from the floor to see all around him. We were disappointed at first that he didn't seem interested in the many toys and gifts that have been given him, but before long he developed a great interest in life. Soon he was grabbing what he could and putting things in his mouth. He always loved to be bathed, even now he is excited to hear the shower or water running in the tub. Susan made the adjustment from promising young business woman to full-time mother very well and only complained occasionally that she didn't get out much.
We had agreed to care for Susan's family cat, Stanley. He was black and white and seemed very plain outwardly, but he was blessed inside with quite a character. He was proud and arrogant, as most cats are, but thrived on our love. While at Grandma Curtis's house he ate well on the mice and grew to dominate the block of neighborhood cats, but in Provo, he would stay at home or wander through the fields. For days at a time, we wouldn't see him and Susan would worry as much [about] him as she did for the rest of the family. I remember once... Next Page
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