This morning, my 4-year old grandson Benjamin was carefully studying a photograph that I have in my family room.

This one…

Ben finally asked, “Grandma, is this baby me?”

I said, “No, Honey.  That’s Alex when he was a baby.”

Alex is 18 months older than Ben, so Ben wasn’t in the literal or figurative picture when the photograph was taken.

Ben studied the photo a bit more and asked, “Grandma, did you hold me when I was a baby?”

I smiled as I explained to him that I held him all the time… that he never wanted me to put him down!  I told him of his first Christmas Eve when I cooked a dinner for 22 people, practically all-the-while holding him in my arms!

I then took this photo down from a kind-of high shelf…

… and told him of holding him when he was just a teeny-tiny brand new baby.

Benjamin studied the photo for a few moments, then crawled up on the couch to take a peek at the other photos up there on that kind of high shelf.

He looked rather puzzled and then said, “Grandma, those are all of you holding William.  In a red sweater.”

Ah.  The red sweater.

I told Benjamin the story of the red sweater as he hung on every word…

I was wearing a red sweater on the beautiful late September day William was born in New York City… back in 2004.

I happened to be wearing the same red sweater the day Alexander was born, also in New York City on a beautiful late September day… in 2005.

I happened to be wearing the same exact red sweater the day Benjamin was born… on a lovely April morning in 2007.

Do you see a theme developing here… and why Benjamin thought the baby photos were all of me holding the same baby?

Now, when Henry was born on a perfect June day in 2008, would anyone expect me to not wear the same red sweater?

Of course not.

So here we have it…

Benjamin loved my red sweater story and gave me a great big hug.

Then he wanted to know all about me holding him while cooking Christmas Eve dinner when he was a baby.

And oh… Ben had one more interesting question.

“Grandma,” he said, “will you wear the red sweater if Mommy ever has another baby?”

I winked.  I smiled.  I answered.  “You bet I will!”

I love that red sweater…