Happy Birthday Tina Shell

January is not ALL sadness!

:)

January 21, 1964 was a happy time for me. It was the day my third child

( and my second daughter) was born; perfect and beautiful!

This baby came just 15 mo. after her sister...so I have to say I was a bit overwhelmed...especially with having a boy child, too, barely 4 when Tina came to us!

Oh! But I was thrilled and completely wrapped up in my babies! :) It was the best time of my life!

In those days a baby's gender was not determined before birth. I like it that way and probably would not have wanted to know in advance, even if I could have! I liked the anticipation of waiting and wondering...considering both boy's and girl's names.

My first baby girl I named Tammy, so I thought of cute names to go with this one- since these little girls would be close in age!

(subconsciously, I may have been thinking of my sister and me...being close in age and being named June and Joy. Those two names were usually said together-all through our young years! ~ as in, "June and Joy are sooo pretty!" lol! Or..."June and Joy,"Stop fighting!")

Tina was my first choice for a girl's name. I remember liking Andrew and William and Gordon for a boy's name! My son was named Christopher (and became Chris right from the start) so none of those boy names would have gone well as a sidekick... :)

I guess it worked out better that my third child was a girl ! :0

I named her Tina...so, it was to be I would have 2 little blond 'look-a-likes' with cute little names that went well together! Tammy & Tina!

However...being the way both Charles and I are about nick-names...within the family, my kids were to also become known as...

Chris :

BIP (sometimes-Bipper or Do-Bipper)

Tammy:

Tammy Boo, or Tam Boo ( Tina gave her big sis the name of 'Didda'...and she's still called that .)

Tina:

Tina Shell, Shell, Shelly, Tiger, Tina Tiger, Teeny Shell, Teeny, Teen

('Shell' because her middle name is Michelle, 'Tiger' because she loved to see the tigers at the zoo and would make the cutest scary tiger faces ~ on command! :) )

Oh! Those were happy times! There was nothing missing from my life at that time! My babies were my ALL!

Tina is just 3 mo. old here with her brother and sister on opposite sides of ' Mom and baby!'

...And one of Dad with the kiddies.

Happy Birthday,

' Tina Shell ! '

Love,

Mom