My father, your Grandpa Douglas, gave this to me to give to you this Christmas season. He addressed it jokingly to Martha Rose, which is sort of a joke name for you at my parents' home.
The story is that my parents did not know which gender of baby they were having when I was born. Ultrasounds were very poor in those days, and my mom did not have very many at all. They had a girls' name selected (Bethany Lynn) and a boys name chosen (Elijah Robert), and while my mother really hoped for a girl since she did not care for the boy name, she did not pack any pink clothes for me to wear. My father went to a local shop and bought this dress for me while I was still in the hospital. Therefore, it is my first piece of real clothing! And you can wear it, too.
My mom told me that she has kept it safe and secure for 28 years now... safe from her daughters using it as a dress for baby dolls and safe from garage sales and aging. It has been moved from at least four houses and is now in the drawer I have designated for your things.
Don't worry, it is not "so out of fashion" even though it is now 2011, not 1982. It is still very classy looking, and the while with smocking is adorable. If you are dressed it in, people will not notice that you are wearing an antique. I may tell them because I think it is special, but really, it looks like a gown from a modern boutique.
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