Gaggle O' Cousins
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On a cold February morning 34 years ago my aunt announced she was pregnant. The family rejoiced. I guess my other aunt thought it was a good idea because two months later she announced she too was pregnant. Then a month later my mom decided that she needed to follow suit and became pregnant with me. That same month her sister decided that pregnant was a good thing. Four women expecting babies all within 3 months with each other. What a hormone fest that must have been! Aunt one has her baby (a boy) then promptly found out breastfeeding doesn't prevent pregnancy. She became pregnant again. Poor woman.
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Because of this baby marathon I have 4 cousins that were all born within 6 months of me. We grew up close. We didn't need friends because there was always a cousin to play with. For added benefit we all lived within a few blocks of each other. And did we have fun! Going into the bookcase part of the sectional couch and spinning each other around was fun. Riding Heidi the St. Bernard. (OK...this may seem ridiculous but it just occurred to me while typing that Heidi must have been a girl dog. Why did it take me 34 years to clue into the dead give away for a name? I always thought he was a boy. But I digress.) We collected snakes, jumped on the beds and messed up bedrooms. Talent shows and tea parties and feeding the cousins (that came along later) dog food. Maybe we never actually fed him dog food but he ate it and we laughed our 4 year old asses off. What better encouragement? Where were our parents at this time? Laughing there asses off in the kitchen over cigarettes and coffee. (They didn't know the dangers of 2nd hand smoke in the early 70's.) Respite from all the kids was a welcome break I am sure.
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Cousin # 1. Brother to cousin # 5. Instigator to cousin # 6 eating dog food.
Cousin # 2 With funny laugh.
Cousin # 3. Me.
Cousin # 4. Not as much fun as cousin # 2.
Cousin # 5. Brother to cousin # 1. Instigator to bookcase rides.
Cousin # 6. Usually protected by his sister, not-so-fun cousin # 4
Cousin # 7. Dog food eating cousin.
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Notice we are all eating out of bowls? I think we were allowed forks just for the picture because the mom of cousin # 1 and 5 still hands out spoons to anyone under 35. I know this would have ended up in a food fight. Cousin # 1 would have flung food at not-so-fun cousin # 4. Oh how we would laugh!
posted by BarbaraMG at Tuesday, March 29, 2005
6 Comments:
Oh how nice it must have been to grow up with so many cousins your age! I was the youngest of 4, by 7 years. I had cousins, but they lived very far away. I think you were truly blessed!
What a neat picture. I too had so many cousins that were within two years of each other. We were really close back then. Today I have three that I am in contact with regularly. The others - I see at funerals. Why do we do that?
Wow, that's a whole pile of cousins. I had a total of 4. 2 live in Ontario and I've only met them twice. The other two I grew up knowing, but one of them died when I was in High School at age 25 and the other got married and movied to Australia.
Thanks for the photo! I grew up with my cousins as well. It's fantastic. You're all close and you've always got someone to play with.
How cool that must have been! My cousins where much older then my sister V and myself. My kids lucked out a bit with there moms having had them close together and in living close by. My sister T and I where pregnant with our ten year olds about the same time. My nephew Rc is older then my ten year old by only two months! What a great post:)
You were so cute!! Cousin #4 even looks like she wouldn't be much fun. On the other hand, #'s 1,2, & 3 look like they'd be rascals for sure!
How fortunate for you to have such a close knit family.
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