Birth thru 5 years old?
I was born in Oklahoma City but I don't remember much from these early years. However, one incident told by my mother is worth retelling. Keep in mind, mom probably had at least three children, all under the age of three when this happened. At some point, mom could not find me and after a thorough search of the entire house, and since She could not leave the other kids to check outside, she called the police. She was beside herself with grief wondering how I got out of the house and if I was gone forever (Mom had a very fatalistic view of any event like this). While the police were looking throughout the neighborhood, mom was in the living room trying to think about where in the world I could be. Then she heard a giggle. Keep in mind, two other kids were under her care as well, so she quickly checked if one of them was in the next room, but no one was there. She heard another giggle and she began scanning the room round and round. Finally, she began looking up to the ceiling and spotted my grinning face in a nook high above the fireplace. Apparently, her fear turned to anger very quickly (she was full blooded Italian after all!). There I was looking down and laughing out loud, and she couldn't wait to get her hands on me. However, the police had to get a ladder to get me down allowing mom some time to cool off, probably sparing my life (OK, maybe a slight exaggeration, but if you knew my mom you knew to never piss her off!). She said even the police could not figure out how a two year old could possibly climb up to that ledge which was about 9 feet off the ground (It was an older home that my parents were renting at the time). I only have a vague memory of looking down from a high vantage point but that is about all I recall, and it could be one of those implanted memories from the retelling over the years. I'm not sure mom ever forgave me for that, she was one to hold grudges for a long, long time!