I will take a slice of Parent.....(Slice)

I was born in 1964; older sister to one brother, one sister, but my family did not stop there. On my mothers side I had my grandparents and twelve Aunts and Uncles. Being part of such a large family, family size pizza was always on the menu, usually with a variety of toppings. I often thought I would order the same, but would find that each person certainly perfers a personal pan with individual toppings. So here is my slice..

By the age of eight I had been taking care of my younger sister, four years my younger, for my mother was a two job working parent and my hands were always a support. I was a weekend warrior for my younger brother; my fathers child from his second marriage, my status as the big sister was with him as well, even diaper duty:)

This experience came in handy when I began to babysit for a family in the summer of 75; to earn extra money for the things most teenagers wanted at that time, school cloths, makeup, an Atari game system, yes Atari :). I would pass most the time away; babysitting, listening to Donna Summers records and dancing with hair brush on the coffee table. The money was a great reward but have to honestly say I found myself enjoying the fact that I was taking care of the children and gaining the experiences.

June of 84 I graduated high school and went on to attend a course school; Training Development Corporation, were I first met the father of my first child and fell in LOVE. Did I think at that time this would begin the journey of being a parent? I would have to say yes, my maternal instinct or that internal clock was ticking to loud it made a resounding noise to be heard by most that knew me.

May 8, 1985; I gave birth to my first child, a son, 12lbs 11 oz and yes that is not a typo :). The conditions surrounding this experience were rough and not what one would expect as a first time parent. I had a condition called eclampsia and found myself in the hospital two weeks before delivery on bed rest. I started labor early that morning and labored for 27 hours, at which point I had enough and told my mother to get the doctor to help me. She had gone to the door to seek the doctor, only to turn and find that I had gone into a ceasure.  I do not remember anything from that point until they woke me and informed me that I had given birth to my son.

As a parent of one young man; I did hope that someday I could give him the opportunity to have a sister or brother to share experiences in life as I did being a big sister. December 8, 1989; the day of my birth, I gave birth to my second child. Most would find better ways to spend their birthday then being in labor or having a C-section, but I found it to be the best present anyone could ever receive.  A boy, 10lbs 131/2 oz and healthy.  I did not have any complications, I did not have any difficulty other than having to recovery from C-section. Due to the fact that I had a C-section with my first, they stated a C-section was more advisable. He was also 22 inches long and today is over 6 feet tall.

I had decided after the birth of my second child, a single parent for the second time and loving the parental way of life, I was worried about finances, housing, diapers, food and spreading my self too thing that I would not be able to be a great parent. After great discussion with my physician I decided to take measures to be happy with the two children.

Well four years later I found that I was having my third child. September 1,1993; I gave birth to a daughter, 8lbs 11oz and full of life. This delivery, also by C-section, was planned and well monitored.  I spoke with the doctor to ask how I was able to have a full term pregnancy and give birth to a child after a sterilization procedure.  He explained to my that some how I had become that 1 percent of women that after such a procedure is able to conceive.  This amazing situation only supported my thoughts; even from such a young age as eight, that I was destined to be a mother, a parent.

Today; February 25, 2011, continues my life as a parent of three.  The oldest is now in TX selling Kirby's for a living. My middle child is working hard, as a freight supervisor, unloading freight trucks in pre-sort for UPS. My youngest has amazed me every day; now a Senior at BHS, she also is a second year culinary student at UTC and has joined the Army Nation Guard. Does this end the parent trip, of course not, it just opens the door, now I just wait for the future days of my life and the continued progression of life and birth into grandparenthood :)

Memoirs Of A Special Woman

Several years ago I made a trip with my daughter back to my hometown to show her where I grew up and to introduce her to family that she has never had the opportunity to meet. However, the photo above is the memorial site that we both visited together of a woman known to me as TuTu, my grandmother. Several years earlier she had passed and this site was to commemorate her.

During our visit we ventured to my uncle's, he has a beautiful country style home in a town close by the town in which I grew as a child.   I have to say this visit became full of wonderful experiences and impressionable moments. In the picture above; that I took during my visit, this is the memorial site for my grandmother. A bench with a special notation engraved in the marble stone to sit and reflect to remember the woman I fondly called Tu Tu and the willow tree, her favorite tree, that marks the location in which the ashes of her are buried. I was unable to make it to her ceremony when she passed and I was truly disappointed for I felt I had no closure.  Having visited my uncle's home and this site has now made a lasting impression that I will carry forever.

As we all sat in the kitchen eating a selection of cheeses, crackers and wine, we all spoke of TuTu amongst each other and my grandfather who has come with us to my uncles that day. I recalled how just a year before she had passed that they had come to visit me in Maine.  She, my grandfather, my mother, myself and the children had made a trip to Acadia National park. My daughter had asked me on that trip how come I call my grandmother TuTu, I replied that when I was a child for some reason I called her that and it stuck. Seeing where I was the oldest grandchild all the other grandchildren followed suit. My uncle spoke up saying it seemed to fit for Tu Tu in a very short skirt and my grandmother was not but 5 feet tall.  I laughed saying well all great things come in small packages, he agreed.
I have now taken this photo; framed it; it now hangs on my wall in the living room and is the center piece for a wall of family memories and photos. I did so for all of her life she was the center, the main support emotionally that held our family together. As we get older and our minds become more rigid and less Sponge Bob:) I do suggest to everyone, take pictures, write down your memoirs, not only to keep it fresh for you but to pass along to others when the time comes.

Are You Going To Scarboro Fair (Childhood Memoir)

As a little girl, I would burst with excitement when my father would tell me that we were going to the summer’s first county fair. There was nothing more spectacular to me than the smell of fresh baked goods and getting spoiled with one of my favorite things to have a huge, circular, multi-colored Lollipop on a wooden stick, with flavors that taste like a rainbow's colors.

My grandmother for as long as I could remember had made dolls from remnants of clothing, strands of yarn, buttons, ribbons and any item of odd quantity. She had entered a set of homemade dolls at this county fair for the first time.  I remember wanting to see them for they were packed in a box that sat next to me in the back seat of the car, I tried to peak but was scared someone would see me and I would be scolded.

It seemed like days were passing as we waited for the judging of the dolls, we walked past several tables and viewed all the dolls that had been entered.  We finally came to the table were my grandmothers dolls were displayed, I could feel my heart race and my eyes widen when I finally looked at her entries. There were a set of three dolls; the first one had golden braided hair, with big blue button eyes and a yellow dress with big sunflower print.  The next doll had black strands of yarn that she somehow had been able to make big flowing curls and a dress bright blue with big poke a dots. As my eyes came to the final doll, I began to wonder had my grandmother had me in mind when she created this one; the doll is wearing a dress with lollipops printed all over, the same ones that I love, circular, multi-colored on a stick.  This doll had braided reddish hair, just like mine and big brown eyes just like mine.

My father and I joined my grandparents for some lunch, they proceeded to play some fair games and ride some carnival rides.  I just want to go back and gaze at the dolls again. I had truly lost my interest in most of the fair activities, excited to go see were my grandmother had placed and what color ribbon was on her dolls. On our way back to the display area for the dolls, I did get that lollipop, big, round colorful and yes it taste just like a rainbow. We finally returned to the display area, as we pushed through the crowd to get back to her table, I thought I was going to burst.  We walked up to the table; I was holding my fathers had so tight; a big Blue Ribbon was displayed on her table, first place.

As my father fastens the seat belt I turn to my left and there sits in the back seat with me, the three dolls my grandmother had entered and won first place for.  As we travel down the road, heading home my grandmother turns to me and states that I can choose one doll to keep for my very own. Can you guess which one I chose.............?  That’s right the one that looked just like me, or so I thought, the one with the dress of lollipops, reddish braided hair and brown eyes.

We arrived home, I grasped the doll like there was no tomorrow. My grandmother had asked me a short time later are you going to choose a name for your doll, I explained to her that I had a name for her the moment I choose her. She asked what that name might be?  I replied Lilly Lollipop. Lilly did not leave my side the entire weekend and for many years to come.