March 7, 2008 by Barbara.

How quickly small people grow into adults! Of the few memories I have of me as a … well, younger than I currently am, is of going to the hospital to see Adam. I’m avoiding thinking how long ago that was but, since Adam can now celebrate this particular birthday with a drink legally obtained in Michigan, I guess it was a long time ago. Let me share a few random Adam memories:

* Adam won the cute baby contest at the Leamington Tomato Festival. He really was that cute (still is, in fact).
* Adam was allergic to cow’s milk when he was small. He was able to have goat’s milk, though. Goat’s milk leads to very smelly diapers. He was a nice baby despite all of that.
* Adam was also allergic to corn products. On the day my dad died, we gave him marshmallows to keep him happy and occupied while we dealt with the things that needed to be looked after. When he was running in circles long after his bedtime, jumping from the arm of the couching and bonking his head without pausing and that sort of thing, someone finally read the marshmallow package and shared the fact that marshallows are made from corn syrup. Without Adam, I never would have known about that.
* Adam was a cool little dude. I remember, in particular, a pic of him as a toddler or preschooler with his hair spiked and his outfit was very Miami Vice.
* Adam had a poem published in a book of poems and stories when he was in elementary school. I have a copy on our bookshelf.
* Adam was the smallest hockey player that I’ve ever watched. It was so much fun to watch him and his team mates chasing the puck like a swarm of bees. Adam always waved when he took his turn as goalie. Adam wore Cooperalls when Cooperalls were cool. It’s the sort of traumatic memory your aunt needs to keep fresh in your mind.
* Adam cut his own hair when he was a kid. Somehow he managed the get the shape of a tulip onto the top of his head. He was *not* impressed when his artistry was captured in photographs.
* I left for university when Adam was still quite young. When we’d speak on the phone, before he’d ask if I wanted to speak to his mom, or when we saw each other, Adam always offered an “I love you, Auntie.”
* Adam is the strong, silent type but he has wonderful smile and he shares my sense of humour.

Happy birthday, Adam. I hope this next year is a great one.

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March 7, 2008 by Barbara.

Reid and I were sitting together on the couch the other night. Reid was snuggled right next to me and Clio was lounging on the adjacent cushion. Noticing that there were 4 hands that would be much better employed in petting her, Clio walked over and squirmed her way between me and Reid. Notice that I didn’t say that Reid and I were sitting with our hands in our laps. That would have been a lie. I had just finished writing Uncle Roger’s birthday message and was writing words on sticky notes according to Reid’s directions. We started with “tights”. I had Reid tell me the names of the letters that made the necesary sounds, with a quick explanation of the silent “gh”. Reid took the completed page and stuck it to her tights before asking for “dress”. We repeated the process. Dress, of course, has the second “s”. Is it “silent”, do you think? Once her outfit was appropriately labelled, Reid asked me to write “Pooka” (Clio’s nickname). With that sticky note in hand, Reid asked if she could stick it to the cat. I said that I didn’t think it would be a good idea. Clio puts up with a lot from Reid - it’s always well-intentioned affection but often slides into more physically rough than Clio appreciates - but being labelled might have pushed her limits. When I told Melissa about it this morning, she suggested that would like to be present when Reid tried to put a label on Leo. I’m not sure whether he’d hiss or run but he would surely take any label as an insult to his catness. Maybe we’ll try this weekend if we’re snowbound, as the weather experts say we will be.

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