My World Changes Forever - First Grade

Hello! I'm participating in a fun project called Mommy's Piggy Tales, where we record our youth in 15 posts. This is post three. You can read Post 1 Here and Post 2 Here. For more information, click the button at the bottom of the post.

(Cabbage Patch TWINS with one that HELD A CRAYON - Can you tell how excited I was? I still have these dolls. . .)

I don’t remember much about first grade. Trying to think of a highlight was difficult. Let’s see. . .
The end of kindergarten, beginning of first grade marked a huge upset to my little only child, mostly only grandchild world. See, when I was 5 ½ (I turned 5 in the January of my kindergarten year), my brother, Joey, was born. I remember little about my mom’s pregnancy and the birth of my brother. I do remember people asking me what I wanted the baby to be, and I answered, “I don’t care, as long as it is healthy.” I think I must have heard my mom saying something similar. But, secretly, I wanted a sister. Someone to play ponies and Barbies with. Instead, I got a brother who wanted to play ponies and Barbies by ripping out their tails and pulling off their heads. Honestly, I wasn’t all that gracious about sharing the limelight with this little bundle. My true selfish nature showed through marvelously in those early years as a sibling. Now, I am thankful for the godly man my brother has grown into, but then, I think I would have preferred life as an only child.

When Joey was about to be born (which I guess technically happened in kindergarten), my parents decided to ease the “blow” of adding a sibling by getting me a puppy. Looking back on that, I think my mom was CRAZY! She was about to have a brand new baby, and she wanted to add a puppy to the mix? A puppy, mind you, that would have to be potty trained! But, we did live in California, so the puppy could stay primarily outside. Maybe that was her reasoning.

Regardless, I remember distinctly going to the kennel or pound (not sure which) and choosing my very own puppy. There were only a few enclosures that had actual puppies. I chose a golden colored one that looked much like a German shepherd pup. We were assured because of her coloring and the size of her paws that she would be big. I named her Rachel. My parents said I could not name her Rachel. We had just seen Lady and the Tramp, so she was renamed Lady at my mother’s suggestion. Interestingly, I had numerous people as me over the years, “Is Lady a boy or a girl?” Really?

Lady was my companion throughout my growing up years. I remember waiting breathlessly after a cross-country flight to see if she made it through safely. I remember snuggling with her after nightmares. I remember tying her to the front of my bike to pull me faster (which mom quickly put an end to). Those huge paws and shepherd like coloring turned into a small dog, about the size of a small Beagle, with huge paws and unique, black and brown coloring. I know there is a picture of me and Lady floating around somewhere, but I don’t have one.

Here is a picture of her and me with some friends when we were a little older. Lady died when I was in college, after living a very long, mostly healthy life. She is most of the reason why, in spite of the hair and messes, I am passionate about having a dog while my kids are young.

(Don't you love that couch - we had it FOREVER! So ugly! But it must have been in fashion at some point! I'm in the purple sweatsuit outfit staring at the TV, not the camera. Not sure the occasion for this picture, but it's the only one I have here of Lady.)

First grade was also my last full year living in California. We had so much fun, visiting Yosemite National Park, taking trips to Disneyland, spending weekends at Marine World. Every weekend we went out as a family to see some sight or go to some event. While I am thankful for God’s hand in moving us along to a new location, I still think being a young child in California was a lot of fun.

Want to hear more women's stories or participate in the next round? Click the link below to find out more!