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Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Memory Lane

Recently some old baby/childhood pictures were unearthed by my Aunt, and seeing them took me right back to childhood again. In the spring of 1976 when I was 6 years old, my Mum went to hospital and because Dad had to work I was sent to live with my Gran. My Mum didn't come back for over 4 months. I expect it seemed like an eternity to me at the time, and as the school holidays rolled around anyone around at that time may remember, so did the great heatwave of 1976. I probably didn't understand a lot of what was going on, and I cant even recall visiting Mum, although I know I did. I do recall my Uncle taking me home to visit my pet rabbits and becoming really upset because he didn't have a key to let me in to my own house (Dad was working), and also I was stung on the ankle by a bee ( a traumatic day indeed).
Mum was not ill though, she was in fact in hospital desperately trying to hang on to her twin pregnancy. Medicine was not nearly as advanced then and premature babies had a lot less of a chance than they do now. Anyway, Mum and the twins were amongst the lucky ones and she held on to them until 36 weeks. They were born on 9th July 1976 and both weighed under 4lbs each. They were both quite ill and with one baby in particular it was touch and go. My parents were advised to have them baptized if they were that way inclined.
I cant remember the exact date, I am sure Mum does, but I do remember the day the car pulled up outside and in the back Mum was holding one healthy baby and Gran was holding another (yeah, no car seats at that time).
Now I was properly a big sister to my twin sister and brother. They were still tiny and a bit odd looking, but I fell in love with them. I remember that new baby smell filling the house and I am sure to this day that's when I decided I wanted to be a Mum. I think I really got a sense of how precious they were.
They will be 35 this year and both big and healthy with children of their own but to me they will always be my little twins.



Me with Tiny Tears, Christmas 1976




EDIT
In the interest of full disclosure here are two more photos, the first is my sister when she got home from hospital, September 1976. The second is a rare photo of the twins on their birthday. My sister lives in Auckland NZ, so it is rare for them to spend birthdays together, this was 2006.










6 comments:

  1. What a lovely, happy ending. Funny how the blog world turns, I've only just caught up on a blog post elsewhere about loss which revived memories of my own and now your post reminds me that there are always two sides, loss and life.
    Thank you.
    xx

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  2. Hello Becks, yes sometimes we forget about the fortunate ones who make it through. I know my Parents were rushed to the SCBU several times because things looked bad, an also they sneaked my sister off her ventilator with my Dad's consent, while my Mum took a rare night away at a family wedding. It was to spare Mum the pain if they had to put her back on it. Poor Dad, that wedding must have been awful. So it really was touch and go. But no fear, they grew up just as annoying as every other sibling the world over lol.

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  3. I love the updated photo's too. Is that your Dad holding the baby? He looks so much like the photo of your brother so i hope it is your Dad lol.
    xx

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  4. It is my Dad, looking so young and so thin lol. Although he always looked slim, he was 6ft2. My brother is 6ft1 and my sister is 6ft. I am the wee shorty-bum at 5ft8. I think they are both like my Dad and my sister's youngest is the image of him right down to the dimples.

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  5. Lovely photos. Oh how I remember those stripey buggies, and the summer of '76. You and are are almost the same age.

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  6. We are Jeanette, I was born 03rd December 1969, although I am wondering if I can start saying 79' lol ;)

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