the queen holds court

its amazing the excitement generated by the birth of a child. a carousel of visitors have dropped by to pay homage--always bearing gifts--then, not wanting to impose, traveled back home after an introduction and each in turn having a brief dance with the queen. i adore visitors. thankfully, my grama overcash has been here the past week to help maintain some semblance of order to the castle. not only has she kept the place hospitable for callers, she has helped make for a smooth transition from a family of 3 to a family of 3 with infant royalty.

my sister, josefina, will turn 3 next tuesday. while she has been a great welcoming presence to my arrival, i sense sharing the title of "queen" in our house has not been easy for her. this is where my grama has been the biggest help. toddlers require routine to live happy, carefree lives. unfortunately it seems all the circumstances of the universe conspire to interrupt that routine to the dismay of parents everywhere. however, grandparents--themselves creatures of habit--have no reason or motivation to oblige the toddlers' routine. indeed, it is their right and privilege, as holders of the grandparent title, to avail the whims and fancies of their grandchildren: skipping naps, buying rollick-inducing sugary snacks, introducing new toys, etc.

heroically, my grama was able to resist the temptation to indulge her instinct and help josefina get accustomed to the new order of things. as much attention as i need, i can certainly understand josie's difficult adjustment to not having mom or da immediately accessible. we thank grama for spending so much time with us this week.

one of the happy diversions from routine this week was a visit from my cousin rendan, uncle t and aunt dawn. they arrived this afternoon after a weekend at the beach. josefina was super-hyped and fortunately had just finished a nap when rendan arrived. something about this guy drives josie into a whirlwind of excitement and delight. she and rendan have a such a good time together it leaves us babies and adults weary for having just witnessed it. rendan is like a big brother and i hope i will have as much fun with him as josie does.

~~greta