Derek

Yesterday was Derek's 5th Birthday.

Derek is our third child. Before getting pregnant with Derek, we began preparations to be foster parents. Right after I found out I was pregnant, we agreed to have two foster children (brothers, ages 16 and 8) come live with us. The pregnancy was tumultuous, given the circumstances. We learned a lot about fostering, parenting, our children, and ourselves. We dealt with a lot of stress and strife.

During most of the pregnancy, we had named the baby Kevin Andrew. Well, I had, I guess. It wasn't until it was almost time that Rick revealed his dislike for the name I had chosen. We frantically searched for alternatives. We liked Keithan Fletcher. So that was it for about a week. Then, on February 8, 2006, our friends Kendall and Norma had a baby boy. Rick talked to Kendall about names and Kendall had given Rick a list of names they were considering. Derek was on the list. For some reason, it struck a chord with both Rick and I. Two days later, I was in the labor & delivery room at 8am insisting that Rick call Kendall to make sure they hadn't named their baby Derek! Luckily, his name was Tyler. So Kevin Andrew became Keithan Fletcher became Derek Matthew. And grateful we are to have him!

Derek was born 16 days early at 8 lb 2 oz. He had a full head of dark curly hair, and we thought for sure he was going to be the darkest one yet! Over the course of the first few months, Derek's skin lightened, his eyes lightened, and his hair all fell out! The peach fuzz that was coming in was white blond! It was the craziest thing. I would constantly ask Rick "Does this look blond to you?" He spit up every time he got fed. And when I say spit up, I actually mean puked. Every time I fed him I had to have a blanket with me (not just a burp rag) to protect me from the vomit that would follow. It is a wonder he gained any weight, but true to Thomson form, gain he did! The puking lasted the first year. Fun times!

Derek is now a bright and friendly 5 year old boy. He has a pleasant and bubbly personality, despite his stubborn stubborn temper. He also has an uncanny ability to pout with his whole body. But overall, he tends to be very helpful (usually willing to do chores like sweep or wash dishes or take out trash) and cheerful. I love having him around. His big blue eyes can sometimes be distracting, but there is a lot going on beneath the surface.

We had a blast playing at the Indoor Playground ("My Giggle Place") for his birthday last night. The kids all had fun, Derek got monster trucks and Bakugan, and Breanna even said "Can we come here for my birthday?" Must have been a success!

Happy Birthday to my sweet Derek! I love love love you so!