As a baby, Pollywog wasn't much of a sleeper. That meant I wasn't much of a sleeper. Now, I'm not talking about the girl having her days and nights mixed up. I'm talking about a baby who took one nap a day and only slept an hour at night and then was up for several more.
About two months after Polly was born, I was so sleep deprived Marty and I started looking for options, not only for my sanity, but so that we wouldn't have to worry harm might come to our child if I suddenly fell asleep while driving/walking/standing/breathing. And like all amazing solutions that come from necessity, we found Lissa.
Lissa lived a half mile away and she watched children out of her home. From the time Polly was two months old, every few days, Marty would get up with her at 4 a.m., bring her to Lissa's by 8 a.m. and then go to work. Meanwhile, I'd sleep from 4:01 a.m. until 10 a.m. and then pick up Polly.
By Polly's first summer, I was freelance writing and Polly spent a bit more time over at Lissa's house. The kids Lissa watched (including her 3 year old daughter and 7 year old son) absolutely doted over my daughter. Polly would crawl over the roughest of boys while they watched television and they would instantly melt. The oldest girl Lissa watched carried Polly around on her hip all summer and I swear that's why Polly didn't learn to walk until she was 13 months old. One of the cutest memories Lissa and I have is these kids coming to me and asking if they could throw Polly's first birthday party. They planned everything, complete with decorations, cake (which they made in Lissa's kitchen) and party games, age appropriate for Baby Polly.
Lissa watched Polly and Buckaroo until Polly was three and Buck was a year old. By then, we'd moved to a different home and Lissa had opted to get a full-time job. But, we remined friends. About ten years ago, Lissa and her family moved back to Lissa's hometown, Sulphur Springs Texas.
Last weekend, Lissa's daughter (who remembers Polly and me) invited us to her baby shower. We drove the 100 miles through fog and torrential rain to join them for the festivities. All week Polly asked variations of, "How do you know them?" and "Do you think they will remember me?" I'd shown Polly Facebook pictures of the family, but she drew a blank.
"Don't worry, they love you," I assured her.
When we arrived, Lissa (who I have seen since I've moved to Texas) greeted me and then gushed over Polly. To Polly's credit she was gracious and took it all in stride. Then Lissa's pregnant daughter came over and did the same, sharing her memories of baby Pollywog all those years ago. And if that wasn't enough, Lissa's son--who now has three adorable babies of his own--ran over to Polly like a long lost friend and hugged her telling his memories of that little blond girl who won the hearts of his friends one summer. And finally, Lissa's husband came by to say hello. He sat with Polly and I through a good portion of the party and even had a few stories to share with my daughter. The entire family doted over Big Polly in a similar fashion to the way they treated the little baby all those years earlier.
When we were leaving I said, "Isn't it kind of fun to find out that you have a whole 'nuther family who absolutely love you?" Polly was a bit overwhelmed from the attention, but I think she also liked hearing about her history from someone other than her parents.
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