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I was 4, so if my memories seem sporadic and youthful, there is your reasoning. 

I loved the Lithuanians, I remember sitting at the table with them in Grandma’s kitchen  to eat a rather fancy meal & asking them how to say, "Please pass the peas." in Lithuanian along with a thousand other things.  They called me Princessa, I knew I was a princess and I loved that they knew it too. 

I was pretty jealous of Bryan earlier that year.  He seemed to be getting attention & praise I wanted.  I probably prayed that my feelings would change as I knew it wasn’t right to feel the way I did.  I had a dream that I remember very well.  I won’t detail the dream for you in the ways I remember it, but in my dream I saw Bryan was in trouble and it made me realize that I loved him. 

I remember my time in the hospital and in recovery with much fondness.  I have no memory of the accident, I only remember that my favorite place to sit in the car was between the front bucket seats next to mom.  I think my first memories of that day were when I woke up while under anesthesia as they were putting my cast on, I complained that I was uncomfortable then I went back to sleep.  I remember waking up in the hospital bed with all the things beeping around me and the wires stuck to me.  As I had seen in E.T., I pulled the strings off of me and tried to pull the catheter out, which wasn’t happening.  A nurse came in and reattached everything & told me I had to leave it attached.  I did  not understand, but I went with it.  People told me that I rode in a helicopter, I didn’t remember it and felt sad that other people got to ride in a helicopter without me.

I loved the hospital.  I had visitors every day, people gave me gifts and brought me food and treated me very special (like a princess).  I had my popple & a soft doll with blond hair and blue eyes just like me.  Dad told me that mom missed me and couldn’t come see me so I sent her my doll to hug & remind her of me. 

I made a friend right away- a girl named Leah.  I remember that her name was like Lee’s & I asked dad why she had a boy’s name.  Her mom brought me 2 nightgowns (one was silky) & a little mermaid poster and coloring books. 

I also remember having a basketball hoop & foam ball.  When Krista came to visit me, she played basketball with me.  I remember how very special that made me feel.  I threw the ball and she ran to get it and give it back to me.  I loved throwing it in the hall so she would have to run and get it, apologizing to nurses and people she had to weave around. 

The nurses would wheel me around the hospital sometimes, I would sometimes tell them where I wanted to go.  They tested me once and took me to a place and had me find my way back.  I remember someone had a movie party and they wheeled my bed in for the movie.  I also remember getting a new roommate.  She was a young black girl and she loved baseball.  I thought baseball was boring, I wanted cartoons. 

Dad visited me a lot.  He brought cards from the primary kids at church.  I wondered why they sent me those cards.  I remember someone brought me a party hat & I wanted to see what it looked like.  That was the first time I saw a mirror.  I asked where my hair had gone, my tray table had a mirror, but I didn’t look in it much because I didn’t like my hair. 

I remember the atrium and the bridge in the atrium, there was a gift shop near by.  I remember being wheeled outside in the snow. 

I think I didn’t see mom until I was home for a week.  I remember grandma and grandpa were there.  I was so excited that they were there, my siblings said that grandma and grandpa made them do chores which I thought was out of character for my grandparents. 

I had a spot by the couch with my stuffed animals and blankeys.  I watched a lot of cartoons- mostly the little mermaid.  I remember wanting my cast to be like a mermaid tail- but it was more like a frog.  I wasn’t sure I wanted it off.  Everyone else seemed excited about it.  There was a boy with a leg cast.  I remember feeling impressive with my big body cast next to his little cast. 

They used a special saw to cut off my cast- I was worried by the word, "saw", I thought they might cut me- but it only tickled.  My legs looked really gross- I had looong hairs and dead flaky skin and I thought it was funny & liked the laughter about my gross legs.  They told me I couldn’t walk, I thought that was weird since I was sure I could.  My legs were really weak & I remember learning to walk again.  I pulled myself up on everything.  I remember being in my spot by the couch when I heard laughter in Lee’s room at the end of the hall.  I wanted to be a part of the fun so I pulled myself to the room, which was especially difficult when I got to my parents’ huge curtain door.  I remember trying to pull myself up using the curtains and falling near the door of Lee’s room where they were jumping on the bed.  They said, "See, you can walk." 

I also remember dad threatening to put a tube in my stomach if I didn’t eat my vegetables.