Belly Button Baby

 These pictures were taken at my Burford grandparents' house in Watervliet, Michigan.

Why did I have a piece of adhesive tape on my belly, you ask? 

When I was about 6 weeks old, Grandma Burford noticed that it looked like I had an umbilical hernia. When we went to the doctor, he confirmed it. He recommended we keep tape over it -- I think sometimes there was a silver dollar under the tape -- to reduce the hernia. He said it might heal itself over time, and if it didn't then it would have to be surgically repaired. It never did heal itself. When I was about 7 years old, my brother Rick (age 5) had to have his tonsils taken out. So our doctor thought it would be a good time for me to have that hernia repaired, too. So Rick and I were in the same hospital room and had our surgeries the same day. The doctor who did our surgeries was the same doctor who had delivered both of us. This was back in the day when there were real bona-fide family doctors. They did it all, and made housecalls, too, when necessary. 

The main thing I remember about that surgery was when a nurse came in to give me some kind of shot. I was all tensed up, and she very gently told me to relax my muscles, and it wouldn't hurt as much. And she was right, much to my surprise. I've never forgotten that life-lesson. (It applies to lots of other things besides shots.)

I think we only spent one night in the hospital. Maybe two (the night before and the night after surgery). The other memory I have of this event is that when we drove into the parking lot of the hospital the song playing on the car radio was Deep Purple. It was a new sort of jazzed-up version of the original song, and I remember my mother mentioning that she didn't like the new version. Isn't that a crazy thing to remember? Funny how little tidbits like that get stuck in your mind forever. 

I remember some time shortly after the surgery I was walking through the house kind of bent forward. I think I was afraid the stitches would come out if I stood up straight. My mother assured me that wouldn't happen and I could stand up straight and it would be all right. When we went to the follow-up appointment at the doctor's office he explained that he had created a new belly button for me instead of just leaving a straight horizontal scar, like usual. I don't know how he did that. I have a very faint scar just above my belly button which is practically invisible now. 

My mother has always believed that I got that hernia from crying so much. She swears that I cried the entire first year of my life. Later on, she theorized that the reason I cried so much was because of the cigarette smoke -- everybody smoked in the 1950s (although she always quit smoking while she was pregnant). Of course, the more I cried, the more she smoked. I don't know if I subscribe to that theory or not. And I'm pretty sure I didn't actually cry my whole first year of life. But that's how she remembers it. She said one time she was walking in town with Grandma Thomas, with me in the baby carriage, and one of Grandma's friends stopped to chat. She asked Mom if I was a good baby. Mom said no, she cries all the time. And Grandma really raked her over the coals for saying such a thing as that!