Found out today I will have a daughter come February. I was raised in Oregon so the first thing have bought her is a Camo Fleece Jacket(I couldn't resist). The onesy on the right is next on the list to buy.
So I thought it would be appropriate to share a memory from when I was a kid. Something I wrote for College Writing along the theme of the day, Baby Girls... The day my sister was born.
Personal Memory Age 3.998
I still remember the day leading up to when you were born, even though I was just about to turn four. I was very confused about all of the hubbub. The strangest part to me was Dad taking over caring for me. Normally during the day Mom would watch me make my lunch etch. But this morning I saw mom for a brief moment moseying her way through the house. She said dad would be taking be to the Tonack’s house. The Mrs. Tonack had baby sat me several times before so that seemed okay in my mind. But the routine of the day was far from normal. Dad had me gather some playthings. Odd thing seeing him home as he was usually gone from
My birthday was coming I knew but I didn’t know how soon. He went with me into my bedroom and said he was going to give me birthday present early since he might miss my birthday. “Cool!” I thought. I rarely received gifts, let alone toys. He went to my closet, and from the very tip top shelf he pulled down a brand new Fisher Price bulldozer. I was ecstatic, and yet very disconcerted at the same time. Elated over having a great new toy but frustrated that it had been in my very own closet for who knows how long. How dare he hide a gift in MY space. I should know everything that went on in my room. After all it was my room you know. I quickly put it aside and got in the car with Mom and Dad.
They drove me over to their house where I played outside for a while with my new dozer and then came in for lunch. Mrs. Tonack always had the best food. I don’t know why it seems so great. You know Mom is a great cook, it just always seemed that there were different flavors and things to try at their house. Maybe it was just the fact that it was not at home that made the food seem better, almost like an adventure, like the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
Among one of the different things I loved about their house was the immense collection of red building bricks they had. There were hundreds of them on that day I made a house that was about a foot tall, complete with windows and a roof.
Later that day afternoon my brick building was interrupted by Grandpa and Grandma Boyd arriving. They whisked me off to their house for dinner and said I would spend the night at their house since Mom and Dad were still at the hospital. I don’t remember much about the evening except Grandma going on and on about what I great birthday present I was going to get. Being very tired the next few hours kind of run together. But I do remember either late that evening or the next day going to the hospital to see Mom and Dad. At the Hospital there was a Kid waiting area where I read some kid books, fell asleep, and after what seemed like hours Dad took me over to the window and showed me all the newborns and point to one particular glass bassinette tricked out in pink with a hairy headed baby and the name “Caryn” written in Sharpie on a card with a stork.
“That’s another birthday present for you right there.” He said as he held me up to look through the wire reinforced pane, “A baby Sister.”
What kind of present was a baby? It didn’t make any sense to me at the time, but after the unusual fun day I had experienced, I knew that life would never be the same again.
What I didn’t know at the time was, my life was changed for the better.
