Precious Toilet Memories

      When I was born, my mom read a book called, Infants and Mothers: Differences in Development by T. Berry Brazelton, M.D.  Apparently Dr. Brazelton was like the baby-expert version of Dr. Oz but without Oprah as a backer.

It was published in 1969, so reading it in 2010 was interesting.  I think most of the information is still valid today, but obviously a lot has changed as well.  For example, it talks a lot about dads being kept out of the delivery room, recommends babies sleep on their stomachs, advises against swaddling, and mentions mothers driving with the babies in their laps on the way home from the hospital.

The best thing about this book, however, is that my mother wrote notes in the margins about me as she read it.  I now have a detailed account of the first year of my life.  

So, what was I like as a baby?  Not too different than what I'm like as an adult interestingly enough!

As you can see from my mom's writing, I apparently hated being dressed and had a bad temper.  Sound familiar?

There's a lot of information about my eating habits since, really, that's all babies do for much of their first year.  I still grunt when I see food.  I still enjoy sucking on a good turkey leg.  I still cry if you try to take the bottle out of my mouth.  Do you blame me?

Perhaps one of the most precious gems left over from my first year is the fact that I just loved hanging out behind the toilet.  There's also mention of me going through the garbage and tormenting the poor dog by pulling his ears and refusing to give him my food.  I was apparently the baby version of Oscar the Grouch.  

There are also things written that make me go "Awww," and get all mushy inside.  My first words are recorded.  My mom wrote about how much I liked to cuddle and give wet kisses and play peek-a-boo with my father.  I was also happy and smiley in the mornings...that HAS changed.  

I'm so happy my mom saved this book for the past thirty years.  As I prepare to have a child of my own, it's nice to reflect on what my own baby experiences were.  

Be assured that I will be doing the same thing for baby girl so that thirty years from now she can laugh at how she'd torment the asthmatic cat and get a detailed account of her early bowel movements.  That kind of stuff is priceless.