You're A Girl!!

On March 27th it became official – you´re a girl, due to arrive on June 1st – just 2 more months to wait. As of then you weighed 3lbs 14 oz. And as of now we begin to get to know you.
I wish my mother – your greatgrandmother – could see these pictures. In her day, and in mine as well, we didn’t know much of anything about our babies until the moment they were born. Hard as it may be for you to believe, not only didn’t we get to see pictures of them but the question of whether they would be boys or girls was the subject of much discussion and many superstitions. It was the stuff baby shower games were made of. How was the mother carrying the baby – high or low – was she gaining a lot of weight, was her face changing, did a pendulum swing to the left or to the right when held over her stomach…….. Now we just look at the pictures. It staggers my mind to imagine all the things you will see and take for granted that we can’t even conceive of yet. What will it be like when it’s your time to have your babies?

So who do you look like? It’s a bit hard to say just yet. Your Mom says you have quite a bit of hair already. Here's a picture of her the day she was born, with a full head of hair herself. But I guess we will just have to wait two more months and see. Meanwhile we can think of how to break you of that thumb sucking habit.

The 7th Inning Stretch

The stretch through the 6th and 7th months were a bit long for your Mom. It was not entirely uneventful, however. She and Hilda went to a Franco DeVito concert with the Carruyos, and Tammy, her friend since they were babies together, came to Miami on business and they had a brief visit. But in general the rhythm of days was slow as you continued to grow. For a few days near the end of March that rhythm picked up briefly to whirlwind speed when your great aunt and great grandmother came up to visit and SHOP. I’m sure that by the time you can read this you will have completed early and complete training in efficient and physically challenging shopping trips. It’s part of your Morillo family heritage. Your Mom was left exhausted but happy to have seen her Tia China and Nina.

Baby Beth -

While cleaning out closets, organizing ourselves for your arrival, your Grandfather found an old bag in a back corner where your mother’s first baby was hiding - just waiting for you. Baby Beth was a gift from your mother's Grandmother and Grandfather MacNabb for her second birthday. She quickly inherited many of your mother’s first clothes and became an integral part of our family. As you can see, her hair was often lovingly washed and brushed, resulting in a rather casual windblown look. Never a creature of high fashion, Baby Beth was a loyal everyday companion, always ready for anything. The nighty she is wearing here was made for her by your great-grandmother. She made one for your mother of the same material and they often climbed into bed in their matching outfits.

In that same bag we also discovered some other clothes that "Mom-mom" knit for one of your Mom's smaller dolls (whose whereabouts are currently unknown). Maybe some day you will have a baby who will inherit these family heirlooms.

5 Months Down and Counting ---

These aren’t the best of pictures, but they’re all we have to remember the month of February.

They were taken on your Mom’s Blackberry and sent to mine and then downloaded to the computer and uploaded to the blog. I’m sure you’ll have a much easier way to do such things when you want to.

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11 pounds gained. All systems normal.

Your Blankets -

You've already received so many gifts, and have several blankets, some new and some with history.

The oldest is one that my grandfather, your great-great grandfather, Louis Goss, knit to receive me almost 60 years before you were born. He learned to knit to help out with the war effort during WWII, knitting for the soldiers. And I guess he got to like it as he went on to make this blanket for me.

Others were your mother’s. Both of these were gifts. The yellow and white blanket was knit by hand (not sure by whom) and given to us by one of your grandfather's good friends, Dale. As you can see by the colors, in the "old days" we had no idea if we were expecting a girl or a boy and so we were prepared for all contingencies.

This new one was a gift to your mother at her shower in Barnegat Light.

And this one I made especially for you, for your first bed. I started it in Barnegat Light and finished it in Miami, so it was witness to this first passage in your history.

As you can see we´re ready to receive you and keep you "comfy", as your Uncle Randy likes to say.

Road Trip

We took off from Barnegat Light on Friday morning under overcast skies and headed for the Delaware Memorial Bridge, which your grandfather and I crossed so many times with your mother when she was a baby, coming up to the island. This time we were heading south.

We had clear sailing through the Baltimore tunnel and then got stuck in traffic on the Beltway around Washington D.C., losing about 3 hours and any chance of reaching South Carolina on day 1. It was a long dreary first day for our trip. We spent the night in N.C. and woke up on Saturday to sunny skies which took us down to Johana and Waldo’s house in Irmo, S.C. We spent Saturday night with them and then headed south on a lonely road towards Orlando where we met Tia China on Sunday evening. Monday found us on the road again, on our way to Miami, to drop off boxes for storage and then to Hilda’s. That's us - the little trailer amid the giants on the turnpike.

Four days on the road. Time to separate from what was before and look forward to what is to come.

On Tuesday we visited with Maria and Israel, went shopping and ran errands.

Then on Wednesday afternoon your mother left your Tia and Tio and me at the airport. We travelled back to Maracaibo and your mother began to settle in to her new life.

Your Tio Luis put together a much more detailed version of these days (in Spanish) in
http://debarnegatamiami.blogspot.com/

Farewell/Shower

We’ll start with the surprise Baby Shower/Going Away party that the greater Kubel’s family gave for you and your Mom. Friends are so much more important than gifts and these friends have been an important part of your mother’s life over the past few years. She’s worked with them, played with them, been a part of their birthdays and weddings and baby showers, shared joys and sorrows. A special thank-you to Candice for all her work in organizing the party… and to Brooke, Cheri, Arlene, Jen, Kim, Kathy, Gracie, Maggie, Angie, Jamie, Pam, Cloe, Adrian, Stacey, Lauren and Annie. We’ll be happy to match names and faces for you, and tell you a little bit of each one of their stories, every time you ask.