Memories 1: Birth

I felt like this should be easy; but my recollections of the early years aren't really my memories, they're the snippets I've heard recounted, or the photo I've gazed at in the albums.  It makes it hard for this post to be coherent, what follows is a bit of a mish-mash.  Although the stories are about me, they aren't my stories, at least not yet.

First a little context; My parents met in High School, they dated and broke up but ultimately ended up back together.  My Dad is Chinese, and was raised by a widowed immigrant Mother who disowned my Dad when he married my Caucasian Mom.  Within a few years (when my brother was born) my Popo (grandmother) took us all back, and accepted her mixed family.

My Mom tells me that my Dad named me before they were even pregnant, I was going to be Amber if I was a girl and Aaron if I was a boy.  I never understood why I wasn't Erin if I was a girl, but I'm glad I wasn't, Amber suits me much better.

I was a chubby baby, bordering on chunky.  At 9 months I was 26 pounds, but I would lose most of that weight.  I had meningitis; they suspect it was due to ear infections, suspected to be a result of a tumble down the stairs months earlier.  But regardless, by the time I left the hospital, I was back into newborn diapers.  They say I was lucky to survive without brain damage, that if my parents hadn't brought me to the hospital in the middle of the night, well, I wouldn't have been so lucky.  But I was, and for that I'm thankful.  My heart goes out to all those who were not as fortunate as our family.

I talked early and I walked early.  I was about 10 months when I said my first word, "Hi!"  I used to sit in the kitchen doorway in my jolly jumper and everyone would walk by and say "hi Amber".  One day I answered them - I've never looked back.  As for walking, they say that the longer a baby crawls, the better the motor skills later in life; I'm a klutz and I started walking, no make that running at 10.5 months, perhaps there is some truth to those assertions.

In some of my favourite early pictures, I'm in the backyard, I'm wearing a little pink dress and I'm surrounded by Doberman puppies.  We had our doberman, Morgan through my teen years and I will always love and cherish her.  Though she loved us all, we always had a special bond.  I was one of her babies.  I'm a mother now, I understand what that means.

P.S. I'm going to try and scan some pictures from my Mom's house!

This is post 1/15 and is part of Mommy's Piggy Tales 
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