Today marks the point where Li'l Miss M has officially lived in Utah for longer than she lived in Virginia. Not a big deal, really. Except that it makes me a little sad and a lot "homesick." She's started asking questions about it and talking about Virginia a bit lately. When you ask her what she remembers about living in Virginia, she always answers, "Jaysen," or "Jaysen's dog." You can bank on one of those being her answer. She can add a few things to the list, Jaysen's mom, Jaysen's dad, but that's really about it. She doesn't really remember her day care or the friends and teachers she had there. She loves to look at pictures of her life "way back then" and they can spark a few memories here and there. She's been fascinated lately about things "when SHE was a baby." I think now that she relates her sister's age to having been there herself, it's much more interesting to her. I'm sure she doesn't remember having to sit in her carseat for an hour+ to and from day care every day or that to play with friends we had to do that exact same drive. Those are memories I *hope* she blocks out because boy, do I wish I could! I do enjoy sitting with her and telling her the stories behind the pictures - seeing what sparks recognition, interest, excitement. Life was very different for all of us then. I mean, she didn't even have a little sister to torment her there! I know as she grows older, the memories of everything will fade. And while she still does ask to 'go visit Jaysen someday' (completely without prompting sometimes!), I'm sure the memories of her own that she does have will fall away too.
Someday I hope to get her back there and show her the places where and people with whom she spent the first two and a half years of her life. She may live here the rest of her hopefully insanely long life, but she will always be my little Virginian.
(The pictures are two of the last we took before we left there)
