Month: September 2018

Things I Remember About My Baby Sister’s Birth (and Subsequent Days) Fifty Years Ago Today, The List:

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  1. My parents obviously believed that pregnancy was not to be discussed with children, so I was totally caught off guard when my dad informed me that I had become a big sister overnight.
  2. My dad actually came home from the hospital to get me ready for school. ( I was a first grader.)  He threw open the blinds and turned on all the lights in my bedroom, whereas my mom would always wake me with a kiss and a gentle shake.  I was quite peeved with his failure to follow morning protocol.
  3. When my dad finally told me I had a baby sister, I jumped out of bed and onto the bed.  I jumped and jumped.  This was such exciting news.
  4. I couldn’t wait for my mom and my sister to return home from the hospital.  I filled every vase in the house with asters from my mom’s flower bed.  The florist delivered a huge arrangement of pink roses, but I am certain that the quantity of asters was more impressive than the quality of those roses.
  5. Several days later, I started to miss my status as only-child-center-of-everyone’s-universe, and I told my parents to send my sister back to where she came from.
  6. I may have been 6, but I wasn’t that ignorant.  I knew the stork really didn’t deliver my sister, and I pleaded with my mom to tell me the details of how my sister came out.  My mom staunchly refused to tell me anything.  We didn’t have the mother-daughter talk about how babies are born until I was in high school.  And I am still waiting for the mother-daughter talk about how babies are made.
  7. I was jealous of my sister’s big blue eyes.  (And yes, I still am.) But the fine hair on her head was dark, to my delight, so ensuring that I would be the only one in our nuclear family with that much-desired and far-superior blonde hair.
  8. But then I realized that I WAS the only one in the family with blonde hair.  My sister’s coloring matched my mom’s, while my hair and eyes matched no one’s!  Oh my God, I was probably adopted.
  9. Since we were six years apart in age, I quickly recognized that Sister wasn’t ever really going to be a playmate.  But no matter–instead, I could be her protector, her provider of entertainment, and her boss.  (And yes, old habits die hard.  I am still her boss.)
  10. My mom had been given a slightly-creepy statue of St. Gerard as a baby shower gift.  (St. Gerard is the patron saint of pregnant women, which baffles me–were there no female saints available for this job?)  Once Mom tucked the statue into a drawer and off the dresser, I realized that this happy and healthy blessing of a baby was here to stay.
  11. None of the gifts coming to the house were for me.  Not a single one.  But now I know that my baby sister, Sophie, was far and away the best, most precious Christmas gift my parents ever gave me.  (Do the math–count back 9 months.)  (HAPPY 50th BIRTHDAY, SOPHIE!)

Things About Hurricane Florence That Are Bringing Me Some Happiness and Satisfaction, Although This Storm Is No Laughing Matter, The List:

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  1. Since I was told to plan for the worst, my pantry has been re-stocked and re-organized.
  2. That troublesome leaky spot on the basement wall that I have been nagging Husband about for a while now?  He fixed it.
  3. College Boy was given orders to evacuate campus, since the university is close to the coast, so we get to enjoy his company at home for several days.  It remains to be seen whether he will enjoy OUR company, especially if the internet goes out.
  4. On the way home, College Boy stopped to visit his sister, and they had their own version of a “Hurricane Party,” apparently.  Hey, any kind of sibling bonding is a good thing.
  5. I read that every “hurricane kit” should contain some comfort food, so I felt justified in bringing home lots of chocolate and other treats, all in Happy Halloween packaging.
  6. Gainfully Employed Son in central North Carolina is riding out the storm with his Significant Other and her two cats.  This experience is good for a relationship, since each one can see how the other makes emergency plans and handles stressful situations.  (Bless your heart, dear Emily, for taking care of my boy.)
  7. Even though my baby sister’s Golden Birthday/Girls’ Weekend Away in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is officially cancelled, I know she will always remember that the many hours I spent planning all the details and activities are a testament to how much I cherish her.
  8. I have learned some new science phrases, like “wind shear” and “sea level pressure” so I feel smarter.
  9.  Power outages?  No problem–I like my brandy at room temperature and by candlelight. And I got plenty of brandy.