Three memories

It's funny how memory works; sometimes you hear or read something that brings a memory back to you from years ago.

Here are three memories of Adessa I recalled this week that are still so fresh in my mind I can see, hear, and remember them like they happened yesterday:

• A couple days after Adessa was born, I remember taking her down to a room on the lower level of the hospital so they could draw blood from her.  The phlebotomist pricked Adessa's tiny heel -- and, of course, Adessa didn't like that one bit.  It was torture having to hold her while the phlebotomist filled what seemed like an unending succession of little vials with her blood.  It was my first experience with seeing my daughter in pain and it was disturbing.  Even though I knew it was necessary I just wanted it to be over.  If you want to really hurt someone, hurt his child.

•  Adessa used to carry an adorable little pink blanket with a teddy bear sewn into it that we called Blankie-Bear.  (Unbeknownst to her, there were actually four Blankie-Bears for backup and wash day.)  She loved that Blankie-Bear like no other possession.  The memory that came to me this week was of the little jingle it made when she moved it -- it had a tiny jingle bell inside it, so when she turned over in her crib or came toddling into the room you always heard her.  It was very sweet and also reassuring.  I miss hearing that.

• We made up a rhyme about my Jeep where I'd sing out "The Jeep Jeep Jeep goes..." and she would answer back "Beep! Beep! Beep!"  Somehow, this morphed into her calling out from the backseat when I was driving "The Jeep Jeep Jeep goes..." and I then answered by beeping the horn three times.  She would absolutely howl with laughter over that and as anyone with a three-year-old can attest, when you do something they like the first thing they say is "Again!"  And they'll say "Again!" another three dozen times if you keep doing it.  I finally had to explain to her that I really can't just honk my horn all day long or other people will think I'm honking at them.