What was in the bookshelf, part 2

One thing I found was my own journal from 1997.  Now I just blog but back then I was an enthusiastic and avid journal writer.  I wrote every day. We were living in New Haven, CT and Adam was in graduate school.  My writing reflects a lot of money worries and self doubt.  Also, I was lonely.  I had forgotten this but I had a long distance calling plan that was free on Fridays.  I lived for Fridays!  I would talk to Marianne and my parents every Friday.  (Olivia was in Poland or I would have talked to her too.)  Every entry is about Braeden in some way.  One of the entries made me smile.  I wrote that when I went into Braeden's room in the morning, he clapped because he was so happy to see me.  I remember those mornings.  His room had a big window.  I would pull him out of bed and I would feed him then we would sit in the rocking chair and look out the window at the squirrels or the birds or children playing on the playground in our student housing apartment complex.

look at that big bald head!

I don't know that I want to go back to the loneliness, the poverty, the self doubt.  I wouldn't mind snuggling my baby boy again though.  He's much too big these days (but he is still very pleasant in the morning).

There are also several scrapbooks Adam's mom made for him while he was growing up.  There's some of his best school projects when he was in elementary school.  He had crazy neat handwriting.  I can't blame him for our kids' messy handwriting.

Also there are pages of academic accolades and awards and letters from his high school principal congratulating him on his performance.

I maybe weakened the academic gene pool.

My favorite discovery on the entire bookshelf was in a scrapbook Adam's mom made.

Here is Adam, front and center, on Christmas Eve.  He is with his cousins and his brothers (who are wearing matching clothes--how cute are they?).

His mom recorded the joke he made up and told everyone on Christmas Eve.

Question: What do you call a Christmas Frog?

Answer: A Christmas Turtle

He was four.

He delights me.