Today is Yo-Nenny’s birthday. She is 32 years old. We will all sing happy birthday to her.
For her birthday, she and Jason and Emmy came to see me. Molly will join us later. I got my house all grandmothery before they arrived, vacuuming and putting up baby accoutrements.
[Mom: what do you do to see all these pictures bigger?]
So then, while Jason and Eleni went to buy diapers (they returned two hours later with everything but diapers), Emmy and I took a walk. I strapped her to me and grabbed a Guatemalan napkin to protect her from the sun. As we strolled along a farm road between dry furrows, I told her, You look just like Little Red Riding Hood. Except it’s a napkin, not a hood. And it’s blue. And we’re walking. So you’re Little Blue Walking Napkin. She didn’t disagree.
On my wall I have a Guatemalan huipil on a wooden frame. In its center, of course, is a hole where a Guatemalan of days or yore would insert her head as she donned the blouse. Jason suggested I take a picture with Emmy’s face in the middle. So while they were gone (really buying diapers this time), I snapped a zillion shots that make me laugh.
I will say, though, that Jason dissuaded me from calling to make certain it was okay that we’d be gone longer than originally planned.
I’m just sayin’.
And how I love that you’re a hands-on Grandmother, taking baths with and Baby Bjorn-ing Emmy! That’s as it should be, and, I’m finding out, is exceedingly rare in this part of the world. We’re so damn lucky, me and Em and Jay-bird.
Don’t ever leave us, okay? Okay.
Heh-THAT’s her Native name: Little Blue Walking Napkin.