Tagged

My friend Shyla "tagged me" (asked me via her blog) to write six things about one of my kids. Then, she asked me to write six interesting/quirky/random things about me. Since I'm sitting here nursing, I figure I'll give it a go. I'll start with the kiddos:
1. Both Miriam and Judah started walking at 13.5 months.
2. Both labor and delivery experiences were all-natural, short, and only painful for a few minutes (I had Judah at the hospital and Miriam at home).
3. I felt as though the Lord gave me both of their names at The Call DC in 2000.
4. Both of my kids like to be chased, tickled, surprised, and then take breaks to hug and cuddle before doing it all over again.
5. My kids don't eat fast food, watch TV, or play video games. (I know, I know, I get asked all the time: What DO you do all day? The short answer is: We play, read books, and fight dragons.)
6. My kids are allowed to jump on the furniture.

And now me . . .
1. I was born with a condition called pyloric stenosis, which is a blockage in the stomach that is more common in first-born males. It wasn't diagnosed until I was four months old and weighed 8 lbs. After a simple surgery (and a scar that never went away), I started gaining weight and rounded out pretty well by the time I was a toddler.
2. When I was four years old, I punctured my left eye with a fork. My mom just told me yesterday that my dad recently remembered when the nurse was having trouble setting me up with an IV and I looked at him and said, "Daddy, I think I might have to cry." He said, "Don't worry. She's not going to stick you again." The nurse said, "If Daddy says we're not going to stick you again, then we're not going to stick you again."
3. The same year as the fork incident, I had sliced open my chin and had to have stitches. I was running from the living room of my grandparents' house into the kitchen to tell my mom what a good girl I was being when I ran into a tall, ornate, iron(?) ashtray and cut my chin on both sides. My Poppop said that I cried so loud that the ambulance heard me and came right away. When I was supposed to have the stitches taken out, I told the doctor, "If you touch me, I'll pee my pants." Well, he touched me and, yes, I peed my pants. The scars have moved quite a bit, but before they did, I used to resemble a marionette puppet.
4. On the stitches/accidents track, I broke my arm in the fifth grade while riding a three-wheeler in the woods near my house. It had been raining, and I took a curve going too fast and slid into a tree. The three-wheeler fell on my right wrist and broke both bones. A man who was hunting nearby heard me cry and helped me get back home. I thought I was dying. My mom thought I was being dramatic. My dad took one look at my wrist and said, "I think she broke it."
5. I used to write stories for fun when I was in elementary school. I would ask my teachers to read them. I craved their feedback. The same year I broke my arm, I wrote a Thanksgiving play that my teacher allowed me to direct and present to the other classes (I even got to perform in front of the "big" kids!") Since we didn't have a theater department, acting classes, or creative writing classes at my public school (or anywhere in my small town), I kind of created my own.
6. When I lived in NJ, my mom enrolled me in ballet classes. I don't remember how old I was. 4? 5? I'm thinking I had to be close to Judah's age. Anyway, at the end of the classes, we performed on stage with the professional ballerinas. I danced to "I'm a swingin' little lamb" in the cutest little lamb costume. I told Mom afterward that I wanted to do it again, but I didn't want to go to the practices. I just wanted to be on stage.

I'm not sure what the rules are with regard to "tagging," but I think I'm supposed to tag other people. Preferably people with blogs? I think I'll tag my friend Julie to write six things about herself since she hasn't written anything on her blog since September and she probably has a great list. And I'll tag Jill to write six things about one of her other kids (besides Spencer, who gives her lots of great material--check out her post from Feb. 7 entitled "Vinegar Milk").