To Write It Down Or To Not Write It Down

When my first was born and she would do something people would say, "write that down or someday you'll regret it." I did, for about 6 months. The second one came and I heard the same thing. Write that down. The first was talking and saying funny things at this point and I definitely was hearing it all the time. Write it down, write it down, write it down. Plus I've got this newborn who's starting to do milestones and I'm supposed to be writing that stuff down too? I was at the "I know it, I'm going to remember it all" phase in my life. How in the world could I ever forget these moments?

The third child came. The first was 4, definitely doing some fun stuff, the second was 2 so he was all about the funny stuff plus hitting some milestones. My third was a difficult child with a lot of health issues. He consumed a lot of my time. There was no writing going on. I've got a lot of started baby books with a lot of empty entries. There are no funny stories.

Now the kids are having their 8th, 6th and 4th birthdays. I don't remember any of the stories. I barely remember any of that time at all. It's sort of a fog. What really happened back then? What were the kids saying? They ask what their first words were and because I never wrote them down I don't freaking know. I do remember that none of them said the traditional "dada" or "baba" but what was it exactly? My sister in law has everything documented. EVERYTHING. Even my husband has a book that pretty much documents everything from his first shit all the way to when he his puberty and took his last shit.. it's just that detailed. But mine, I never wrote it down.

BUT, I may have a saving grace. It's this wonderful thing that has been the bane of my mother's existence who is always saying "did you really have to post that?" That's right, it's Facebook. I signed up for Facebook 6 years ago, right before the second was born. (sorry first born you are shit out of luck) Thanks to that lovely new thing they have, the memories that pop up everyday, I can go back and recollect and document things that had happened. Because back then, I posted everything. I was a posting fool. It was my connection to reality, my connection to other adults at the time. So thank you Facebook for helping me fill in my memories, even if I still don't remember half of what I wrote happening.