It is fun remembering - even if many of the memories are cloudy and foggy - there are things back then that are pretty neat. When Paul was born, it was winter and we had to bundle him up when we left the apartment we were living in. Back then there were no 'car seats', well none like they have today. When he could set up there was a seat that 'hooked over the front seat of the car. Oh, yes, front car seats back then were all 'bench'. That ment we hooked that funny seat in between Jay and I. Not very 'safe' by todays standards, but they sure did a great job for us back then. Those were the days when every kid wore a cap of some kind to keep their ears warm. They also wore a sweater and was covered well with a blanket tucked in around them to keep them good and warm. Not the way you see the kids of today. Most of the poor little things, even from birth, seem to be devoid of blankets, hats, or something on their legs. No wonder so many are 'cranky'. We wore what they called 'sacques' on new borns. They had sleeves that could cover the hands and a draw string around the bottom so little feet couldn't kick them off. Of course we never had disposable diapers back then - the dark ages - so we used a water proof pad between the baby and their clothes. Kept them from being 'soaked through'. Back then we didn't have the fancy gripper snapped items so common today. My Mother did make 'cover alls' for the kids when they were older with gripper snaps down the legs. Some of the first I believe that were available, but they had to be home made items.
I guess every kid gets somekind of a 'handle' that fits them pretty well. For Paul it was "punkin". He was cute, blue eyed blonde and with the curliest hair you would ever see. In fact it use to bug me when we would go shopping - everyone thought He was a She. When we finally gave in and had those 'locks' cut off, there was no question after that what sex he was. He was a 'cute little boy'. Much to my satisfaction.
Dawn came along much later and so some things were changed, but not all that much. We still use the 'sacques' and other things. By now however they had brought out 'rubber pants' that weren't really rubber but a soft plastic that came in colors. They were elastic around the legs so they did a 'fare' job of keeping things dry. I hated to wear them on her though because they did make 'diaper rash' appear. Neither of us liked that very much. It is the name that she acquired that has been interesting to me. She learned very early how to climb out of her crib. I wonder now how she kept from breaking her neck, but she would manage her escape and then run into our room and get in bed between her and Daddy and me. The request soon came: "scratch my back". After that was taken care of the argument would start. I think I started it, now that I think about it, but it got pretty heavy between the two of us with a whole lot of giggling thrown in the mix. It went something like this: "He is My Daddy, and I had him first! No, He is My Daddy, and I had him first! This was naturally combined with each of us trying to hug him the most. Poor Jay, got some pretty heavy maulings while all this was going on. It was during these times that the name came into being. Once we would hear her I would say: "Oh No, here comes Scratch My Back Betty Bug". Play time insued and everyone had a great time. I guess Paul was old enough he rarely got envolved. Too much frolicing for him I would say.
How old was Dawn then? Oh, I guess between a year and half to two and a half.
You know I don't remember her ever wanting to sleep in our bed, but she was pretty happy if she got to take over Pauls' bed. With his being 6 years older than Dawn, there always seemed to be a plea of: "Mom, can't you get her out of here?" She never felt like she was too little to be included in his play time. She never knew a day when he was not going to school. He was in Kindergarden when she was born. By the time she was up and aware, he was in the first grade and gone most of the day. I guess that was why, when he was home, she wanted his total attention. Her eyes were not blue, but she had the same blonde hair, only minus the curls.
We had to wait a long time for her, with some problems she came with , all of which were safely and successfully taken care of. Thanks to Medical treatment and surgery. We have truly been a blessed family. I think the thing that was most pleasing for me was that Dawn and her Dad had such a great relationship. I had been fortunate enough to have such a relationship with my Dad and hoped the daughter that Jay had wanted so much, was as much a joy to him, and she was. They enjoyed doing things together and were always close. That too was a blessing!
Written this 10th day of August, 2010
by: Eileen Rosenberg
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