this is ramona wearing a sweater that my dear friend, tessa, gave to her on our last visit to chicago.
this is the photo i sent to tessa to tell her ramona loves it and we were thinking of her.
come to find out, tessa had been in labor for two days when she received this photo.
they didn’t know if they were having a boy or girl.
a couple hours later, her beautiful little boy was born, naturally in the water.
now i know what sorts of cute clothes i can send him.
welcome to the world, augustin charles.
marcel always makes me think of my friend jasmin, who first introduced me to her (him?).
i love her and marcel.
my ramona bean. as i write this you’re talking to yourself in bed…[seven minutes later]…and talking turned to squawking and restlessness and grunts for someone to come nurse you back to sleep. gladly.
you just sprouted this month! your charisma and energy and personality are really starting to show themselves and oh my how you’ve grown since the last time i sat you butaka in that chair (butaka is what we call naked in my family). you are so alert and so responsive and so so so smiley. the lady behind me in line at the thrift store proudly exclaimed that “babies love me!’ when you gave her a big grin. i didn’t have the heart to tell her that you, my bean, love everyone. i pray this is a steadfast quality of yours. i’m certain the way papa and i treat others will play a role in determining this and so i also pray that i can show you a good example of warmth and respect and love for everyone.
new faces are your favorite. and you aren’t afraid of the features babies usually seem to be scared of like eyeglasses and beards. that’s a good thing bc your papa has both of those. you have a lot of fans at crema. you charm people w your huge, generous smile and dancing eyes. you’ve been held and hugged and loved on by pretty much every darn regular there. i would be rich if i were given a nickel for every time i was told how happy a baby you are.
and you’re big! at your first check-up w the pediatrician you were in the 91st percentile for everything. the medical technician (the mean guy who poked you) even called you a little chunk monster. ha! i beamed w pride. i love your little rolls, your big belly, and your squishy arms. many people, upon meeting you for the first time, assume you’re two to three months older bc you are so long and filled out and engaging. you give incredible eye contact and appropriate and irresistible facial expressions. you are a girl beyond your years, or, er, months.
you’ve started giggling. i wish i could bottle that noise up and carry it around with me. it’s inspiring, contagious, rich.
papa and i have a sneaking suspicion that you are left-handed. you certainly favor that hand, grabbing at things with it first and more adeptly. you also suck your right thumb. i was the opposite when i, myself, was a thumb-sucker. it would mean a lot to papa if you were a lefty bc he is so proud to be one and would love for you to join him in that small club (he calls it the “genius club”).
you roll. you grab. you pull. you try your darndest to sit up. you are strong and determined and focused. the pediatrician asked me to describe your personality and i said you are an observer, a thinker, a figure-it-outer. and then, once you’ve assessed the situation–soaked it all in–you are a doer, a lover, a woman of action, a leader.
this month i got a good glimpse into you. you, ramona marilyn. you really are going to blow us all away. i look forward to those days of discovery and independence for you. but i’m quite fond of the you/me time we have now. the get up from my blogging and sing lullabies and nurse you back to sleep time.
sweet dreams.
i love you, Lord
and i lift my voice
to worship you
o my soul, rejoice
take joy, my king
in what you hear
may it be a sweet
sweet sound
in your ear
i love you.
mama
see one week, one month, and three month.
***
stefanie: i’m glad you stuck it out. so worth it!
marcie: remember when B&E&I would call you and papa unable to breathe we were laughing so hard? gah, i love it.
andrea came to town again and her and josh (nice to meet you!) and hen stopped by our home w the most amazing tamales for a visit. hen had been a champ w all that travelling and was desperate to get to a cozy, quiet bed at his grandparents’ so this visit was quick. we gorged on tamales, sipped some booze, and i got some more tutorials on other convenient wraps to try w ramona bean.
her and i posed for photos (or tried to, rather) and showed off our baby-carrying skills (sheesh those things are heavy and cumbersome).
thanks for the leftover tamales, guys! they were gone that night.
***
emily: oooh, sushi. i could definitely imagine going for that after delivering. great blog!
melinda: not sure if “gnom” is how you spell it but it’s sure what i picture in my head! maybe it’s bc ramona reminds me of a little gnome.
welcome
