Memories...

How far back do we remember? My first clear memories are of preschool. I remember getting in trouble for licking markers when they were dry, I remember James Kim coming home from kindergarten (they were using our address, I believe, so he could go to our school), I remember graduating from the nursery at church to the children's service.

Then I have these memories that have obviously been dramatized in my mind. We visited Oregon once and Grandpa John had gotten this car with cruise control. It was the first time anyone in the car had experienced it, so we were cruising through some hilly roads. I was sitting in the back on someone's lap (unbuckled, of course), and I opened the door while the car was moving. I'm fairly certain what happened was that the adult on whose lap I was sitting reached out and closed the door, and that was the end of that. In my mind, however, I very clearly remember gripping on to the handle and flying for several minutes as the door flung outward and the car was driving at top speed. Another memory I have is in first grade when Gus threw up on me/my desk. I think he just kinda threw up and some spilled on me. What I remember, though, is him gagging a few times, then the momentum of his projectile vomiting throwing him backwards across the room.

Another strange thing is that I remember so much from elementary school. Like two Christmases ago, Danny and I realized that, together, we could remember all the lyrics to a song we sang in elementary school choir (he remembered the chorus, I remembered the verse). But ask me what someone said to me two days ago, and I'm clueless. I've found that my brains have withered away since I got pregnant with Ellie. Then I just got stupider and stupider after she was born, then with the second pregnancy, and now Matthew. My excuse for everything is that I have no brains. It's like that movie Memento. I have to write down on my hand why I'm going to the kitchen so when I get there I know what to do.

One thing about Ellie that always really impresses me is her memory. She remembers all kinds of things. Like when we went to NY in November, everytime she saw my cousin Pete he was sleeping since he works nights. Then when we saw him again in August, she was like, "Uncle Pete awake? He not night night?"

We were playing at Hailey's a couple of weeks ago, and she was riding Hailey's little trike. She loved it, so I said nonchalantly that maybe we'd do another potty chart so she could get a bike. Then we were at Pottery Barn Kids today and had these reward certificates to use. We had about $30 left, so we got her the vacuum cleaner. I said, "Ellie, Mommy and Daddy got you this vacuum because we're so proud that you go poo poo in the potty and have no accidents!" She says to me, "Oh! I get a bicycle later then?" Oops.

The most recent thing she did that impressed me was remembering lyrics to songs she listened to before she could really talk. We have this DVD of Jana Alayra, this children's praise music writing lady from Saddleback. She used to watch it everyday before she turned two. She'd try to do the motions and stuff and sing along, to the best of her ability. She got tired of it, I guess, and hadn't watched the DVD in several months. I played it again for her last week, and she's totally singing along with all these songs. Crazy! It's like she knew the words back then but lacked the physiological and neurological capabilities necessary to produce them. Seriously, isn't that crazy? Crazy. I wonder if she, too, will be stupid after two babies.