My BIRTH Day

{wreathed baby and bluebird copied from my baby book}

A dark, cold and snowy January in Boston…the new mother-to-be, realizing the time was finally here, was escorted to the hospital in the wee hours of the morning by her young husband and her mother…

Being placed on the elevator—the old-fashioned kind with the metal gate closure--she had to head up, up, up into the waiting maternity ward of  the old Boston Lying-In Hospital…leaving husband and mother to go home and wait…husbands not allowed in those days!

{started in 1832, the Boston Lying-In Hospital was one of America’s first maternity hospitals}

“I remember going up on the old elevator and seeing the top of Clayn’s head disappear”, she writes…”and I thought, ‘the next time I see him, he will be a father!’”

And so he was.

On this 50th birthday of mine, I wanted to do a little something my parents would appreciate…hope you don’t mind! 

  {I wanted this page to be very pink…I think I succeeded!}

A new page made for another heritage book in the making…a picture book of my childhood.  Something my children will appreciate someday…and that will be fun for me to do now!

Using a few charming vintage elements from my baby book, I put my page together…

{a copyright date of 1949 for this little gem}

…the sweet, lightly stained pink satin covered baby book…

 

…the opening page of the book, lovingly filled out in my mother’s beautiful handwriting…

…the very first picture of me.  This one seems to have been laminated and cracked—and the remnant is stuck to the photo, so there it will remain…

{little pink bow is found in Crafty Secrets’ new “Creating with Vintage Illustrations” CD}

{pretty rose print also found on Crafty Secrets’ CD}

Some yummy, soft pink seam binding—all tied up in a messy bow, paired with some vintage aqua millinery flowers...

{the pins look a little dark here—not the best lighting today…}

…a pair of chipboard diaper pins covered with real silver shavings glitter…just look at that sparkle!

…and two little bluebirds copied and cut out from my baby book.  Aren’t they so sweet?!

And last, but not least, a little family tree from my baby book.  See?  I can’t help my love of family history—I was started on this journey from day one…

My happy, very young and beautiful mother, Karen holding her new little me.  That bedspread still lives—somewhere in one of Mom’s closets…

Just one more little story. Dad was a graduate student at Harvard Business School when I was born.

They say I was a bit colicky in the beginning…made it hard for this student to study!  But, my Dad is quite a genius.  He simply tied his foot to my cradle and gently kept me calm—and rocking--while he studied.  So happy we have this picture!

Well, that’s about it for me today!  Thanks for stopping by…and to you, Mom and Dad…

Happy 50 years of the most wonderful parenting in the world!  I could never thank you enough…

Love,

Julie

P.S.  Don’t forget my giveaway in my previous post!

LiveJournal Tags: Clayn Riggs Smith,Karen Ostlund Smith,birthday,Boston,baby book