Memories Maximus

Allie during yesterday's visit. At her 4 month check-up, she was taller and heavier than her father at the same age. She is looking more and more like Julie's mini-me. We hope that at least she will inherit Josh's hair follicles. Julie's did not kick in until she was 4 yrs old.

Guess what? It is snowing yet again. This time the storm is called Maximus. And what a pain in the gluteus maximus it is! I got up at the buttcrack of dawn so that I could get some sort of run in before the snow became too deep trying to fend off snow vertigo.This happens when I am running through a field of snow while it is snowing against a white sky. Suddenly my body does't know what is up or down and I get nauseous. It is a very similar feeling I had when I rode through a long tunnel last summer with no lights only then I saw just black with an increasing pinpoint of light.

But yesterday we had a brief reprieve from winter. Sunny, almost above freezing. Steve and  I went downtown for lunch only our order was lost so we just sat for what seemed forever. We got that lunch free.

Then later, off to Josh's house for a belated birthday dinner at Steve's favorite chain restaurant. The pitcher of blackberry sangria made me happy.What didn't make me happy was a fire alarm  that would not shut off. Allie managed to sleep through it and our dinner.

Josh at one point asked at what age do memories become permanent? I said that he would be in a better position to answer this as he is much closer to childhood than I am. Just what are his first memories anyway? He did remember somethings from when he was 4 but nothing before. I have some very faint memories from when I was 3 but much more from when I was 4. I am developing some major holes though. Just who was my 5th grade teacher anyway? I can't even picture her. I remember the room and where I was sitting (surprisingly near the front no doubt obstructing the view of those behind given my hugeness). I even remember a nasty sub and how she hurt my feelings....

Why did he want to know? He wants to create good memories for Allie but he doesn't want to waste his efforts if she is just going to forget them. They are considering Disney World. So at 4, she will remember for sure, we agreed. But what about her theoretical sibling? So for maximal memories, they should wait for this unconceived sibling to turn 4. And the younger they are, the less it takes to thrill them. I remember how thrilled he was on one of our earliest bike rides to ride through a tunnel, a culvert. And how he was thrilled to watch a tortellini machine do its thing.