Do You Remember The Time?

On one of the gaming message boards I frequent, someone asked what was our earliest memory in life. Up until now I always thought I was the weird one for being able to remember my first birthday party. But apparently a few other people did as well. How strange!

To be fair, it's not like I have complete recall of that fateful day in the late 70s. :-) It's only one specific moment I remember exactly. It was getting late, the apartment was crowded with adults, and I just wanted to be left alone with my toy car someone had given me that day. I remember the car was green and silver, and that it reminded me of a pack of Wrigley's spearmint gum. I didn't know that it was called that, just that gum was yummy! Of course, I ask myself now: why on Earth was my mother allowing me to chew gum at so young an age? But I guess it was a 70s thing. Mothers didn't worry themselves over such pithy concerns back then (ha, ha).

Anyway, my memory involves me crawling under the kitchen table and hiding behind the large tablecloth so that no one could see me there. It was like my own little hideout! Once there, I alternated between rolling the toy car on the floor and sticking it in my mouth to see if it would magically turn into chewing gum somehow. I don't recall falling asleep, but my grandmother would tell me years later than they found me curled up under the table with the toy grasped in my hands.

Funny thing is, I've always been the type of person who needs his solitude. Even to this day I usually find excuses to "disappear" at parties or large gatherings. It's just funny to think that this is a trait that might have been programmed into me from birth.

Weird, huh?

The pic above is of me getting ready to get my special birthday bath (in the sink, no less!). Below are some more pics of me in my birthday clothes post-bath.