Fiona's Memory Book

When we talked to Fiona this week she asked if I had pictures of Crystal and Dee.  I have pictures of Crystal but they are very very old.  Crystal is 17 now.  She is 9 in the pictures.  But I think that Fiona is afraid that she is forgetting what her family looks like and I agreed to send pictures.  I took Robbie's first scrapbook to Staples and got color copies made of every picture I had been able to glean of their early years.  I was lucky in that their social worker had given me some pics of the kids with foster families, pictures of when they were filmed for a TV spot and I had pictures of our visits together.  Then I went to a craft store and bought a small scrap book and a few embellishments.  I have always felt badly that Fiona doesn't have a real memory book. Dee either for that matter.  After I saw his face when he saw Rob's books (Rob is now up to 3 of them) I realized how very much he wished he had something like that.  He has a small album with a few pictures and that is it.  I whipped Fiona's  book together tonight.  I have a few pictures of extended family and I included those and wrote who they were.  In most cases I have never met these people so I can't bring any stories to life with them but possibly their pictures will bring that for her.  Or the pictures themself will just be a comfort.    I also included pictures of how we all look now because I do want to keep her mind in the present.  Her brother is a teen now, not a little 5 year old boy.

Interestingly, KC and Rob were pouring over Rob's first memory book.  There is a picture in there of one of Robbie's aunts.  KC piped up and asked Rob if that was "his first mother."  (exact quote)  I heard Rob say yes.  KC was not fazed in the least.  It was an incident to think about.  First off, I love that KC was comfortable with first mother status and that he could ask his brother that in a way that didn't make it sound weird or awkward.  I wish I did have a picture of Rob's first mother.  I don't and i wonder if the aunt truly looks like her, if he didn't want to talk about it and figured a yes would shut his brother up. . . or if he doesn't remember and how that is feeling to him.