Monday, August 12, 2013

A Word of Explanation

When your sister was born almost four years ago I started a blog for her.  I called it Dear Thisbe and wrote to her as often as I could.  You were born eleven days ago, Matteus, but constructing a blog just for you is not as simple a task.  Here's why:

Yesterday, as we drove up to the Cities for a birthday party (for Agnes, Greg, Michael, and David--four of your aunties and uncles) you started to squak in the back seat.  You were justified in your squaking.  It was time to eat and you were hungry.  Your father and I began discussions about pulling into the Target parking lot so I could nurse you.  In the meantime, Thisbe started to sing to you.  One of her wavering, invented songs in her "head voice" (Grandma Gail taught her that).  She sang about windows and trees and stop signs (and any other objects that entered her vision) and she sang about her wonderful brother and the love in her heart, the lyrics essentially a combination of the Care Bear theme song and a grocery list.  And you fell asleep.

So this is the reason that though I will write to you in this blog it can't really just be FOR you.  Your story is already caught up in the story of your sister.  You are already part of her song.

And you are already this soft sweetness in the middle of our family, Matteus.  Your father and Thiz and I are all first borns, all stubborn, all intense, all fiercely independent.  I hope you will have a dose of all those characteristics too--but so far you are far more willing to watch us quietly with your gorgeous blue eyes, far more willing to sink into contentment when your hunger has been satiated, far more willing to be rocked or sung or bounced into sleep.

So this blog is for you, Matteus, but it's really the story of our whole family.  I chose "Rhymes with the Familiar" as the title because all four of us have odd names that rhyme with more familiar words.  We introduced you to the world by saying your name rhymed with Amadeus.  Thisbe rhymes with frisbee.  Etc, etc.  But also the title comes from that sense of coming close to what is known or understood without ever actually arriving there.  Your sister loves to rhyme but she prefers (already) slant rhymes--the ones that don't quite fit, that have the echo of another word but not exactly.  I think we are a family of slant rhymes.

But before I begin to wax too poetic I should also mention that last night you peed on your face.  Which I'm hoping is somehow a homeopathic cure for baby acne.

3 comments:

  1. That last line alone was pure gold. So glad you're blogging again!

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  2. hooray! can you add the "get delivered to inbox" feature? i don't want to miss a post!

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  3. Thanks Mary and Rachel (two of my favorite bloggers!). Mary, how do you add that feature? I'll poke around but advice would be appreciated. :)

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