At 10:16 p.m. April 7, Shawn and Crystal McDonough welcomed their son, Derek, into the world. Even though he showed up a week early, Derek still weighed in at 8 pounds 5 ounces and was 21 inches long.

Crystal was exhausted. The 40-plus hours of labor had been long and intense, and because of her allergies, Crystal hadn't been able to take medication that would have relieved some of the pain.

"I'd do it all over again for him," she said while holding Derek. "It's amazing. He's a true miracle."

After enduring more than six years of trying - and Shawn's deployments to Iraq - the young couple finally got to hold the baby doctors had said would never happen.

Their story of a marriage, a war and a new life is on Pages C1 and C8 in today's Inter Lake.