I first set eyes on the little yellow sweater over 40 years ago. We were expecting our first child, and Rich’s mom got it out of storage and gave it to us. It was tiny, hand knit with extra fine yarn and tied in front with two white satin ribbons. Rich and his two brothers had worn it home from the hospital – way back in 1953, 1956 and 1959. It was such a treasure, laden with family history, just as my dad’s baptismal gown has been.

Karen was the first of the second generation to wear the sweater in 1984. As proud new parents, we were excited to dress her in the sweater, take pictures and buckle her into the car seat wearing the sweater. Carl came next, two and a half years later. Out came the sweater again, and he too wore it home. After each child I carefully packed it away, so when Erik was due to arrive in 1990, I pulled it out, ironed the ribbons and put it in my hospital bag. Apparently, he and Carl dressed alike for their trips home!

The sweater took a long hiatus as our family grew up, but when the time came, I knew right where to find it. The little yellow sweater was moving on down to the third generation! Karen gave us our first grandchild, Ben, in 2010 – such an exciting moment! And it was all the more precious when she too dressed her first child in the little yellow sweater. Mya followed just 22 months later, and she also donned the sweater.

Next the sweater found its way to Carl’s house for his first born. Maren wore it home in 2017.

To be clear, we don’t have a perfect record here. Somehow the sweater missed the latter two babies in Karen and Carl’s families. But who’s counting? The fact that at least one child in each family works for me. And after all, we all know that life gets more complicated as the family grows.

In fact, with the impending arrival of Erik and Katie’s first child, I almost forgot about the little yellow sweater! It suddenly dawned on me when we were visiting them for Christmas that I had neglected to bring it to them. With their due date looming just weeks away, when we got home I wasted no time going straight to the box where I kept it, only go find it empty! How could it be? How could I have let it stray? I racked my brain for memories of which grandchild had worn it last. I dug through my photo files to see when I last had a picture of it. All to no avail. Frantic texts to Karen and Carl initiated immediate searches, but it didn’t turn up. I too looked high and low in our house with no luck. And then it came. A text from Karen – “I found it!” She mailed it to Erik and Katie in Seattle, arriving shortly before the impending due date. Whew!

Saige joined the line of models for the sweater, wearing it home just over a week ago.

On a side note, I should explain the presence of the bears. On the day each of our children was born, Rich went out and bought them a bear. It stems from his own Tommy Bear that he received as a baby, and still has. That too is a tradition that has been passed down. I don’t have a picture of Rich in the sweater, so Tommy Bear will have to do!

It remains to be seen whether another grandchild will wear the little yellow sweater. But I have to admit, I hope it makes it down to the 4th generation!