Thursday, March 11, 2010

Tell me a story...

8:48 pm. The boys' bedroom. Justin in his bed by the window. Evan generously sharing his bed with Corinne and I am squished between them to read Fudge-a-mania and cuddle before enforcing slumber.

Corinne burrows down into the nest of comforters and wriggles back up for air only to fidget her way into a sitting position and then down again.

"Be STILL! It's time to sleep!!"

"Tell me a story. Who was the best eater as a baby?"

"Well, Justin would eat anything..."

"Except mashed potatoes!" Justin pipes up.

"That's right. He would eat anything except mashed potatoes which he would spit right out only to open his mouth up to get another spoonful of them. And Evan was a good eater, too..."

"Who was the best sleeper?!?"

"Ah, well. Justin slept pretty normally like a newborn but he gave me the best birthday present when he was 6 weeks old and slept through the night for the first time. I do believe I cried with happiness... Evan was the WORST sleeper because he wouldn't let me put him down so I constantly walked around on tiptoes saying 'Shhhhh!' or had to carry a sleeping baby attached to me the whole time. But Corinne was the BEST sleeper. She slept through the night at 5 days old! As long as she was wrapped up like..."

"Like a taco?!?" Corinne interrupts.

"Yep. Like a taco. As long as she was wrapped up like a taco, she would sleep for the whole night in her crib!"

"Tell me a story about Daddy!"

"About Daddy? Ok. Do you know how we met?"

"No! NO! Tell us!"

"Well, I had recently graduated from high school and my best friend had just been hired at a small company nearby. She called me up and told me that I just HAD to go interview over there because there was this guy who was PERFECT for me..."

"It was DADDY!"

"Yes. It was Daddy. Anyway, I told her that I already had a boyfriend but I needed a job, so I interviewed for the job and Daddy HIRED me. I remember that he WAS cute with his purple silk shirt and hair in a curly ponytail*. But he was my boss and we were just friends. When he quit to go work at another company, I was all bummed out. So, when he came back for the company Christmas party to say hello I asked him to go out for pizza with me. We went to Giordano's for pizza..."

"Giordano's! We love that pizza!"

"I know. Anyway, we had Giordano's and his best friend came by to check me out and make sure I wasn't weird..."

"Uncle Dave?"

"Yep. Uncle Dave came by. I guess he thought I wasn't TOO weird! Anyway, after Daddy and I finished hanging out and we were going back to the cars, I said 'Let's go out again' and he said 'Sure' and I said 'But this time, as a DATE' and he blushed and said 'Suuuure' and then? It was alllll downhill for him. He was hooked on your mama."

Much giggling and snorting at that thought...

"I'm serious! What's not to adore about ME?!?"

The hilarity continued for a bit. Things began to quiet down and Corinne began to wrestle with the blankets once more until Evan piped up AGAIN with,

"Tell me another story about you guys!"

"Ok. Have I ever told you about how Daddy proposed to Mommy?"

"Tell it! Tell it!"

"Weeeeellll...One day, I was napping on the couch...."

~~~

And on and on. The family stories that they know so well are what I want them to memorize. Knowing the history of our unit is just as important (if not more) as knowing when the Revolutionary war began or when the World Trade Center was attacked. These stories are the first patches in their quilts of life. They need to know that it's ok to marry the man you meet at 18 and it's ok if he proposes to you by poking you awake from a nap because he cannot contain the excitement until he has the money to do a big surprise. They need to know that no matter what, their family will be there to support them. We share a history. My stories are their stories. Their stories are a continuation of ours which are a continuation of our own parents' and so on into the infinite generations prior.

* Totally not-creepy, Random Fact about me: I still have that ponytail that he chopped off when he decided the whole rock-star thing wasn't going to pay the bills as fast as a corporate job would. It's upstairs in my keepsake box beside my lace wedding handkerchief, crumbling prom flowers and photo booth shots of me and my best friends from 20 years ago...

20 comments:

Gucci Mama said...

I love everything about this! So cute! And I laughed out loud at the "taco" thing, because we've always called our swaddled babies "baby tacos".

Stacia said...

"These stories are the first patches in their quilts of life." That's lovely. One could also say: "These stories are like the first ponytails in their keepsake boxes." Just as memorable! =>

ThingsToDoWithKids said...

I can't wait to share those type of stories with my son. He's too young to get it now, but I used to love hearing my mom tell me stories about how they met, and got married.

Jeni said...

I think it's wonderful to share these kinds of stories with your children and I plan on doing the exact same thing with my kiddos. These are the things I wish my parents had felt comfortable sharing with me as a child.

kailani said...

It's great that they want to hear their family stories. It's something they'll remember forever.

Shannon said...

It is so special that you guys share these stories! And, I'm sure your children will remember them forever. There is also something so innocent, loving and romantic about your proposal. He loved you SO much and was SO happy he just had to do it right away. :) BTW, our swaddled babies are baby burritos!! LOL

Mom24 said...

I love this post. And it's so sweet that you still have that ponytail. Look at all it represents. You've given your children a lot more than they'll appreciate right now--roots. Nothing's more important than a family that loves you and supports you.

How funny, Fudge-a-mania's our bedtime book right now too. :)

Joy said...

This is beautiful!

My children love the stories of our family and their babyhood, too. I haven't told them stories of how we met, yet. More stories for another time. :)

Unknown said...

Sweet. And yes, having that feeling of community - of family - is very important fro kids growing up. It gives them something to hold onto. A place to start from ...

Tonya said...

Thanks for the reminder. I need to tell our story to the kids more. They love hearing their birth stories but pre-kid story would be so cool for them!

Eliza said...

What great stories! I love that you share these wonderful stories with your children.

Pregnantly Plump said...

So sweet - and your bad sleeper didn't sleep through the night until 6 weeks?!! Little Elvis didn't sleep completely through the night until he was a year old. Baby Plum's looking like he will follow that lead.

tracey.becker1@gmail.com said...

No, no, no. JUSTIN slept through the night at 6 weeks. He was average. EVAN didn't sleep through the night until, oh... 8 months? 9? It's all a blur. A blurry blur of a baby in a boppy or car seat or sling that wouldn't stay asleep if we moved him from our warm arms.

Mellie said...

What a lovely post!! I need to start telling my kids stories like these.

mep said...

Even now I love to hear my parents tell stories about when my siblings and I were little, when they met, etc.

It's a wonderful feeling to be part of history!

Love this post and smiling picturing you and your kids snuggling and storytelling before bed.

Ruby said...

Great post!

Michelle said...

what fun memories you're creating with your kids. And? Totally sweet you have that chopped off pony-tail :)

Keely said...

Dude, that's a LITTLE creepy.

My family is like that, too. You think you've heard all the stories and then someone comes up with a whole new one. It's awesome. I can't wait to start that with my own kid.

Anonymous said...

This is so funny! Our girls ask the same thing all the time. "Tell us the story when..." It's so fun to go back and tell the stories.

we are reilly said...

what a WONDERFUL post!!! :)

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