“I was the third child,” says Kathy in Colorado, “so my mom didn’t have time to take nearly as many notes about my development as she did for my brother and sister.”
And speaking of developmental milestones…Kathy’s older sister was just 42 years old when she finally fessed up to adding this note of her own to one of the few non-blank pages of Kathy’s baby book.
related: S is for Sibling Rivalry
44 responses so far ↓
#1
Adriana
I’m glad I’m an only child.
Jun 28, 2011 at 11:39 pm rating: 31
#2
snee
making PANs at such a young age. surely a prodigy!
Jun 28, 2011 at 11:43 pm rating: 24
#3
AuntyBron
I am #7 of 8. I came home from the hospital on Christmas Eve with a red bow in my ha… on my head. Do you think anyone bothered to take a picture? Oh, hell no! I have found 1 picture of my from before school – tons of pix of my oldest sibs. No wonder I’m a crabby old lady.
Jun 28, 2011 at 11:48 pm rating: 30
#4
Pam
lol…my brother, who is the third child, probably has his baby book filled out as much as ours, but we have way fewer pictures of him as a baby than the first two. ‘we didn’t have as much money for film and developing then, i guess,’ said our mom. oops, sorry about that. ;-]
Jun 28, 2011 at 11:50 pm rating: 5
#5
strangelove
As daughter #4, I totally relate! My Baby Book was very half-assed, mostly blank (not at all so for #1 & 2, who’s first farts were commented on). Couldn’t find a baby pic of myself for a school project, so I brought in a sister’s. Like anyone would know the difference. 42 tho until she fessed up? Very funny!
Jun 29, 2011 at 12:00 am rating: 14
#6
bec
Aunty Bron, I feel your pain, I am a middle child of only three kids, yet I have so few photos of my childhood I was certain I was adopted.
Jun 29, 2011 at 12:01 am rating: 3
#7
Erin
Twelve and a half months?! Someone is a slow learner!
Jun 29, 2011 at 12:06 am rating: 4
#8
jadefirefly
I work in kids & family photography. I hear moms say ALL THE TIME that they took bundles of photos for their first, and nowhere near as many for the rest.
Sometimes they make up for it by taking a shitload for the newest baby, which then leaves the middle kid(s) out. Can’t win!
Jun 29, 2011 at 1:32 am rating: 5
#9
Nunavut Gut
Soon after this note was written Kathy crept into her youngest siblings’ room. Silently she unsheathed her fathers’ fillet knife.One quick slice across the Achilles tendon.
The sibling rivalry ended that day.
Jun 29, 2011 at 6:52 am rating: 10
#10
Sensible Madness
I kept it fair by half-assing the baby book on both of my kids.
Jun 29, 2011 at 9:20 am rating: 40
#11
Jimmy James
Sure, ignoring the youngest is bad (and I’d know) but what really gets me is how for those first years, all they ask of you is to sleep a lot and eat all the food they put in front of you. Then you wake up one day, and their expectations are completely different. Now they’re waking you up to go to school, next thing you know you’re staying up late to study. Then your metabolism changes and they tell you to watch how much you eat.
Why did it have to change? I was GREAT at that sleeping and eating stuff, and I still am!
Jun 29, 2011 at 1:22 pm rating: 20
#12
orange dog
Parental record-keeping rules
First child: document everything
Second child: document only the essentials
Third child: he/she documents you
Jun 29, 2011 at 3:37 pm rating: 1
#13
Monica
You can tell this was written decades ago – not only was “too” used correctly, it was used correctly by a small child!
Jun 29, 2011 at 11:26 pm rating: 14
#14
Chesire cat
Yeah I fail at this part of mothering. My twin boys baby books did not get filled out. At all. Too busy and I am too lazy. I for the most part remember everything right now, but I probably should write it all down before I forget. Matter of fact, I don’t think I even know where the darn baby books are. Whoops!
Jun 30, 2011 at 5:28 am rating: 2
#15
Sarah
I’m 25 and the younger of 2 children. When I was 16, I found an album still in the store shrink wrap and asked my mother what it was; her response: “Your baby book.”
This was right next to an entire roll of photos my older sister as a baby, sitting on a quilt and not moving.
Jun 30, 2011 at 3:56 pm rating: 2
#16
divaandwriter
I was the oldest child in my family. My parents took all kinds of baby pictures of me. When my sister (the middle child) came along, they were busy and took very few of her, if any at all. In a fit of young child jealousy, my sister took one of my baby pictures and tore it down the middle! My parents repaired the picture with tape and kept it. It was a constant reminder of sibling rivalry!
Jul 5, 2011 at 11:04 am rating: 0
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