Happy 40th Janette!

Dear Citizens,

Today is a special day. My baby sister Janette turns 40. As she was just 10 years old at our wedding, she will always be 10 years old to Andy. A recent conversation:

CitizenB (on the telephone to Mom): Janette's 40th is Wednesday.
Andy (eavesdropping): Janette, the kid who spilled grape juice on the carpet, is 40?
CitizenB: No, Janette, the kid who spilled milk at the dinner table every night of her childhood, is 40.
Andy: You're sure it wasn't grape juice?
CitizenB: Yes. It was milk. Plus if she sat still long enough her eyes would roll back and she would fall asleep in her plate of mashed potatoes.

Janette was full of surprises. First, she was born prematurely and out of state. The family had moved temporarily from Texas to Kansas and from my memory, our dog, Spot, a white fur ball with one spot (possibly his black nose or a smudge of dirt), ran through our mother's legs as she descended the stairs causing the first spill of many to come - her water broke and she was whisked away to hospital at 7 1/2 months.

While Janette was making her early entrance, tornadoes were dropping in and out of clouds (it was May in Kansas) and our not-sold-on-the-whole-idea housekeeper/babysitter Ruby, always wide-eyed looking out the kitchen window, forced us, the existing children ages 8, 6, 4 and 2, to duck and cover in the basement for what seemed like an eternity. Within a few days, we piled into the car and drove to the hospital where we waited for the newest addition to take her place in the back seat.

Back at home, the little bundle was placed on the enormous and hideously itchy Early American sofa for her first official photo - expertly taken with a Polaroid camera from about 40 feet away. She looked like, well, a blanket.

A few highlights:

Except for the relentless spitting up of foul-smelling formula, Janette was an easy baby. I considered myself a miniature junior mother and lugged her around. Hey, I already had Campfire girl and Brownie under my belt at that point and knew how to sew a "sit-upon."

As a toddler, she called every man we encountered in public "Daddy." For a few years, men of all ages, shapes, sizes and ethnicities would flee from us.

Unlike her sister Kellie, she would do anything I asked her to do - like walk to the apartment rental office to retrieve a Mr. Pibb from the vending machine while I watched reruns of "Leave it to Beaver." I like to think I never put her in harm's way and certainly never convinced her that a tadpole from the creek was candy. Kellie fell for that one.

Once she wandered away from our group at the Fort Worth Science and History Museum. At some point between the replica pioneer days classroom and 1800's doctor's office exhibit we lost her. Fortunately, an announcement was made that a little girl "Nona Net Jinkees" - her version of her full name at age 4 - was looking for her family. There was a dramatic reunion at the front desk and then we got to go for ice cream to celebrate not leaving our sister behind with fossils.

As she grew up, it became quite obvious that she was uber-hyperactive. There was a lot of spinning, kicking, standing on her head, dancing, twirling, leg splits, cartwheels, awkward roller skating etc. Not much has changed and this explains why at age 40 she can still fall asleep with her head in a plate. Such skill.

Happy Birthday Janette!

CitizenB