We are so proud of our Mary who is graduating from college with a degree in Information Management this week. This is what would have been called Library Science years ago, but now an updated more IT and archival field of study. It took her a few years to narrow her focus to this degree. She earned an Associate Degree after high school and attended the U of MN twice pursuing different fields. I think she has it exactly right this time. She is the “Book Princess”.
She was born a “princess” being the only granddaughter. Mary has two older brothers whom we adored, but we were ready for a girl when she arrived. It was “think pink” during my pregnancy. One of my friends even knit a beautiful pink bonnet, booties and sweater hoping it was a girl. When she was born, dad Jon was in the hall outside the delivery room. He got the news from me as I announced her arrival with, “IT’S A GIRL” loud enough for the whole hospital to hear. We were ecstatic.
One of the things I did right as a parent, was write in the kids’ baby books. I read it recently to refresh my memory about those early years. Delightful memories came back. Following her two adoring and adorable brothers, Mary walked early and talked early. One of her first words was “dolly”. I remember the little doll clothes and dolly sleeping bag my mom made for her. She had a favorite blanket she dragged around that her great-grandmother Mary Dominik sewed.
Mary is four years younger than her big brother Dan and 1 ½ years younger than Dave. When she was very little she couldn’t say their names and called them “Daisy and Dee-Dee”. Cute. Two little rough and tumble boys in Toughskin jeans dubbed Daisy and Dee-Dee. She kept up with them pretty well. She also loved her cousins Pete and Joe who moved two doors down when she was two.
All the neighborhood kids on our block played together pretty well. We had a picket fenced back yard and initially kids came to play there when Mary was too little to leave the yard. We always had a heck of a time growing grass on that 40 ft. lot of over-used grass. A swing hung from the end of the clothes line. We had a sandbox loaded with Tonka trucks. There was a sidewalk from the back door to the garage where Mary learned to ride a toy horse on wheels and then a tricycle. Life was good.
With a few more years, Mary was allowed to play with the big kids on the big sidewalk in front of the house. They chased up and down it on Big Wheels and trikes. Frequent minor mishaps kept her adorned in Band-aids on her knees and toes. One day, when she was pretty little, she came running into the house and grabbed a spoon out of the kitchen drawer. My spoons disappeared too often for sandbox use, so I followed her to see what she needed another spoon for. Soon I spotted her squatting on the sidewalk trying to scrape off a piece of gum for her consumption! Eeeeww. ( I didn’t let her eat the gum.)
Mary’s love of Curious George began early. She loved the cute little monkey in the books. She loved books. Her Grandma Catherine kept her well supplied in books which Mary liked to take to bed at night. Jon or I would read her a story and then leave her with her dozen or so books to read herself to sleep. She called them “boops”. After she fell asleep, I would sneak in and put the books away. She slept well unless there was a thunder and lightning storm. That woke her and she would come running into our bed.
Our Little Book Princess is grown up now. She probably sleeps through the summer thunder storms and has husband Michael there is she does get scared. Enjoy your sleep, Mary. We hope you have a little “book princess” of your own someday to tuck in at night and comfort in the storms.
Love,
The MOM
She was born a “princess” being the only granddaughter. Mary has two older brothers whom we adored, but we were ready for a girl when she arrived. It was “think pink” during my pregnancy. One of my friends even knit a beautiful pink bonnet, booties and sweater hoping it was a girl. When she was born, dad Jon was in the hall outside the delivery room. He got the news from me as I announced her arrival with, “IT’S A GIRL” loud enough for the whole hospital to hear. We were ecstatic.
One of the things I did right as a parent, was write in the kids’ baby books. I read it recently to refresh my memory about those early years. Delightful memories came back. Following her two adoring and adorable brothers, Mary walked early and talked early. One of her first words was “dolly”. I remember the little doll clothes and dolly sleeping bag my mom made for her. She had a favorite blanket she dragged around that her great-grandmother Mary Dominik sewed.
Mary is four years younger than her big brother Dan and 1 ½ years younger than Dave. When she was very little she couldn’t say their names and called them “Daisy and Dee-Dee”. Cute. Two little rough and tumble boys in Toughskin jeans dubbed Daisy and Dee-Dee. She kept up with them pretty well. She also loved her cousins Pete and Joe who moved two doors down when she was two.
All the neighborhood kids on our block played together pretty well. We had a picket fenced back yard and initially kids came to play there when Mary was too little to leave the yard. We always had a heck of a time growing grass on that 40 ft. lot of over-used grass. A swing hung from the end of the clothes line. We had a sandbox loaded with Tonka trucks. There was a sidewalk from the back door to the garage where Mary learned to ride a toy horse on wheels and then a tricycle. Life was good.
With a few more years, Mary was allowed to play with the big kids on the big sidewalk in front of the house. They chased up and down it on Big Wheels and trikes. Frequent minor mishaps kept her adorned in Band-aids on her knees and toes. One day, when she was pretty little, she came running into the house and grabbed a spoon out of the kitchen drawer. My spoons disappeared too often for sandbox use, so I followed her to see what she needed another spoon for. Soon I spotted her squatting on the sidewalk trying to scrape off a piece of gum for her consumption! Eeeeww. ( I didn’t let her eat the gum.)
Mary’s love of Curious George began early. She loved the cute little monkey in the books. She loved books. Her Grandma Catherine kept her well supplied in books which Mary liked to take to bed at night. Jon or I would read her a story and then leave her with her dozen or so books to read herself to sleep. She called them “boops”. After she fell asleep, I would sneak in and put the books away. She slept well unless there was a thunder and lightning storm. That woke her and she would come running into our bed.
Our Little Book Princess is grown up now. She probably sleeps through the summer thunder storms and has husband Michael there is she does get scared. Enjoy your sleep, Mary. We hope you have a little “book princess” of your own someday to tuck in at night and comfort in the storms.
Love,
The MOM
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