Betsy Bailey

Show us some footprints

Foot prints (and hand prints)

Ah, this photo reminds me of the good old days, when my daughter HM would meltdown at any provocation. In 2000 – June 16 to be precise – we completed a bunch of home renovations with a new sidewalk. To commemorate the event, we thought it would be cute to impress either handprints or footprints for each of the girls into the new sidewalk.

It seemed like a good idea at the time…

Well, HM had just turned 3, and she was not at all enthusiastic about this idea. B, age 4, very willingly handprinted. Mir was just a baby, only 3 months old, so I pressed her feet, leaving a gap for HM. HM tantrumed. The concrete hardened. She tantrumed some more.

We were faced with a decision. Let it go, forget about it. Or… pick her up and impress her flailing feet so that I wouldn't have to hear 10 years later that we must not have loved her very much since she's the only kid not represented.

She flailed. I pressed. Voila! Footprints! That resembled nothing so much as messy blobs.

About 10 minutes later, tantrum magically dissipated, and HM begged for a do over with her handprints. There was just enough give left in the concrete that she could. That's why you see 4 sets of prints for only 3 kids.

Anyway, wouldn't you know, we sold this house in 2002. And moved to Arizona in 2004. I had forgotten all about this incident until the Vox Hunt prompt reminded me…

Here's a picture of them in December 2000, when they were that little:

Mir, B and HM – December 2000

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