What Are Your First Memories?

Every day Max learns something new or does something absolutely hilarious. I wonder how much he'll remember from this period in his life? Do people remember anything as babies?

Ever since Maxim was born I've been thinking a lot about my earliest memories. It must be something to do with having a new child and seeing the world new through his eyes. I want to make sure that his childhood is magical and happy and full of love and fun. To do this I've been analyzing my own childhood memories and I've realized that I can actually remember quite a lot from a very young age!

I remember being in a high chair. My mother and my aunt Deb were with me in an apartment of some sort, and I was eating Kraft macaroni and cheese and sliced up hot dogs. I remember a TV being on and lots of lights and lamps, so it must have been winter. I don't know how old I was, but I was small enough to be in a high chair!

Another early memory I have is sitting on the bus with my mother, and jumping up to look out the window. I don't remember what I saw out the window, but I do remember that I was standing on my mother's lap so I was probably a toddler. This is actually quite funny because that's exactly what Maxim does with his mother on the bus! He's 20 months old and every time Katya takes him on the bus he loves to stand on the seat and look out the window. He gets really excited when he sees a big truck or an excavator.

At some point, as a baby or toddler, my mother lived with her parents and had a fold-out sofa bed. I remember a dark room and the Flintstones being on the TV while my mother was laying in bed.

When I was a toddler I remember carrying around a light blue blanket with me everywhere. I used to suck on the corner of it and I can still remember the feeling of the blanket in my mouth! I remember the apartment I lived in with my mother and my bedroom. She had curtains everywhere and listened to a lot of ABBA. One day and I remember this quite clearly, she was cooking something on the stove and when it was finished she took it off. Not knowing how heating elements worked, I immediately reached up over the edge of the stove and stuck my hand right on the burner. I don't remember the pain, but I do remember crying!

I must have been 3 or so when I was at the daycare near the University of Guelph. I remember that place clearly, including nap time, and the cook whose name was Noni. One day another boy and I were throwing sand up in the air. I remember how fun it was as the sand landed back on our heads. That's when a teacher (or whatever they're called at daycares) grabbed me by the arm and made me sit on the stairs. She was pointing angrily at my face and saying "Bad! That's bad!" I remember crying because I don't think I had ever been in trouble before, and couldn't understand what was so bad. She was clearly angry. In hindsight, she was probably one of those control nazis who hates little boys.

Those are some of my earliest memories. I wonder what Maxim will remember? If something were to happen to me tomorrow, would he remember his Papa? Would he remember all the playing and wrestling we do, and how much he laughs when I pretend to sleep on the floor and he launches himself at me? Would he remember sitting on my lap and watching Teletubbies in the morning? How about laying on the floor next to me, looking out the window and trying to spot airplanes in the sky?

I don't know what he'll remember, and I have no way of determining that. All I can do is hope that every moment I'm with him is something worth remembering!