And They Named Her Johnny Damon.

Ha. Kidding.

(Usually I avoid this sort of disclaimer, but: I will be talking about pregnancy and babies and whatnot, below.)

So. Wednesday night.

The moon went copper red in the sky during the total lunar eclipse.

The Red Sox won the World Series for the first time since (all together now:) 1918.

And my sister gave birth to a beautiful daughter, eight pounds nine ounces, a little bit after midnight. Both are now recuperating in the hospital, on antibiotics for fevers that have since come down. Lord willing and the temps don't rise, both of them ought to be home within a week. I sure hope they are.

Natalia Rose, as the newest member of the Leery clan and the first grandchild, will, according to custom, sacrifice her dried umbilical cord stump to the insatiable hunger of some relative's black-and-white Chihuahua -- ours, in this case. This tradition began with me and a snappish piglet of a dog named Tiny, and it has brought me nothing but good fortune.

So, Natalia Rose, may you enjoy a reasonably idyllic childhood of mess and tadpoles and dress-up clothes, hours of uninterrupted play, a jumble of siblings and cousins in filthy Daddy t-shirts; may you be allowed to eat the batter with the raw eggs in it; may your diary remain inviolate. May you play oblivious on the floor while your mother and aunts tell appalling jokes; may you launch a projectile bowel movement at an unsuspecting parent and giggle irresistibly; may you never take up smoking. May you be surrounded, always, by the warm and raucous laughter of your entire family, who have loved you beyond all reason since before you were born.

Comments

[Pronoia]

This is beautiful, and I hope you write it out so she can read it on a regular basis.

[Andreah]

Wonderful! Congratulations Auntie!

[OliviaDrab]

Congratulations to the Leery family!

Wait... you feed the dog the umbilical stump?

[Jo]

Well, it's more like the stump fell off and the dog got to it first.

I don't see why that couldn't just...happen again.

[kay]

Your wishes for your niece brought tears to my eyes. What beautiful words! Congratulations Auntie Leery!

[Mollie]

Congratulations, Aunt Jo (rhymes with Aunt Flo).

A beautiful post. My God, how time flies. Seems like yesterday you posted about the news of her being pregnant, and here there's a niece already. Wow.

Hope all fevers subside and mom and babe can get down to the brass tacks of living out your lovely projections.

A kiss to you, my dearest Polyp.

[Karen]

Polyp, I love you. COngrats on your new auntie status.

[Christine]

MMMMmmmm...yes, the batter with raw eggs. Generations of moms couldn't be wrong about that, right? (OMG, what if THAT'S why we're all having fertility problems - ???)

I'm going to have to make some batter to eat raw just to get past that cord-eating dog image, though. (Gaaaaah!)

[Danae]

Hey, you too?! Congrats from one proud Auntie to another.
Love, Hot Pocket

[Mamarama]

YAY! I was just thinking about this particular baby the other day...I'm glad she's here. What a beautiful name, and what a very lucky girl, to have you and Gretchen for aunties!

[lobster girl]

That was reaaaally beautiful. Please save that. Your niece will feel special and loved when she sees that post.

[lobster girl]

Oh, and GO RED SOX. Yay!

[Amy in Motown]

Congratulations, Aunt Jo. I became an aunt in the midst of our fertility struggles and it's a bittersweet experience, but wonderful, on balance. Mine is a nephew and child of my only brother, and to see the cute little face I remember my brother having on a whole new little person is incredible. Plus he's just so much FUN. Enjoy it!

[Peggy]

There's a terrific amount of knowledge in this atrlice!