Throwback Thursday + Panda Opos Appreciation Post

      Last Thursday, I shared some old family pictures from the late 90s. This week, I have even more, and throughout these pictures, you will notice the recurring presence of a fluffy, very white stuffed panda bear. This is Panda Opos, a now bedraggled and mostly threadbare stuffed animal whom I still love dearly. He is how my interest in pandas began.

      This is the first photographic appearance of Panda Opos, presumably when our uncle gave him to my sister. (I fell in love and absconded with the panda when I was about fifteen months old.) Because it was a film camera, the photographer did not know the strap got in front of the lens. They also had no idea that they were recording an important moment in my life history.

This is infant me with my dad and great-grandmother, after whom I was named.

Opos and I are adorable. There's another picture where I'm holding him up and gazing at him with a look of supreme joy, but this is the only scan I can find from this photoshoot.

My sister and her friend Hannah playing Candy Land:

Balloons! And Panda Opos in a bib!

This shirt had such a small collar that it was painful to pull over my ears. Once, my Mom made me wear it on the same day that my sister got to go to VBS and I didn't because I was too young. Life is hard.

My first near-death experience occurred the day my sister was pushing me in this car on our sidewalk and lost control. The cozy coupe sped down our long, steep driveway, rolled across the street, and crashed into our neighbor's bushes, but I didn't go off into the ditch and no cars were coming. Mom had run down after me, and when she stopped by the side of the car, she prayed and thanked God for protecting me, but as soon as she was done, I asked, "Can somebody pwease get me outta here?" because I thought the neighbors would come out and be upset that I had crashed my car into their bushes.

 Me: "Oh, look how cute you are smiling with Spiderman! ...That's one thing I never expected to have an opportunity to say."

 At my baby dedication.

HE'S SO SQUISHY AND HUGGABLE.

He's trying not to suffocate...

Now he's upside down and completely squished in a tangle of limbs.

Mom and I rode this camel, Clyde, at a town event in 1999.

My sister: "This whole envelope is just pictures of you being cute! ...Except for this one."

I'm wearing Tweety bird pajamas that were some of my favorites.

 We met Psalty the singing songbook.