two weeks
You are two weeks old today. And you are more beautiful now than ever.
I’m gonna tell you a story, because it’s one I want both of us to remember.
The night before you were born, your mom, dad, and I were couching it at their Iowa home. Big brother Silas was asleep in his bedroom. Mom was eating some popsicles (as was her routine); Dad was watching baseball. And then you got the hiccups.
Mom pulled up her shirt so we could watch her belly dance with each of your seemingly-huge hiccups. I placed my hand on her tummy and felt you; I told you that my hiccups always hurt and I wondered if yours do too. “Just think,” I said to your mom, “Tomorrow we’ll be able to hear her hiccups.”
Less than 24 hours later, I was sitting with your mom in recovery at the hospital. She was joyful and content, despite having the crazy shakes and feeling exhausted. You were just born, and I couldn’t wait to meet you. You were still with Dad in the nursery getting all cleaned up and checked out. Of course the doctors discovered what we already knew: You’re perfect.
Dad finally brought you into the room. (The wait seemed like an eternity…) Your mom cuddled you and told you how much she loves you. We prayed over you and thanked God for the gift of your life. Then it was my turn to hold you. You seemed so tiny; your eyes were wide with wonder. And then it happened…
You hiccuped.
Mom and I looked at each other and started to giggle. As you hiccuped in my arms, I smiled inside and out.
In just a few days I have to say goodbye to you. I won’t see you for three whole months. Will you even remember me? I’m trusting that somehow these first few weeks together have formed a special closeness between us. That years from now we will be inseparably close.
I’m already looking forward to the day you arrive in South Africa. In the meantime, you can rest assured that not a day will pass that I don’t think of you. I will miss you so…
Happy Two-Week Birthday, Peaberry!
I love you!
Aunt Lizzy
@atangie says:
Crying… again. :-) This is beautiful!
You are going to be such a great mommy.
In the picture I see that you have thoughtfully pulled your necklace to the side so that Alece con have a smooth place to lay her lovely head. Naps heartbeat to heartbeat are the best… a treasure beyond compare.
@cassgirl says:
What a beautiful post to sip my tea with, I am crying too, just to see to beautiful women bond.
She’ll never forget ya know!!
You’ll always be her aunt Lizzy, her friend, her namesake, and her hero.
Love ya!
What a way to remember and be remembered. I wish I’d had an Aunt Lizzy. This little one has a great start to life, just by being blessed with someone like you in her life.
And I often laugh aloud, but don’t often cry “aloud” at written things. This one almost got me. I had to stop myself because I’m in class. :)
Te quiero.
That’s so lovely. What a beautiful story. Such an amazing thing to share this special time with your friends and this precious little one :)
gigi — you’re so observant… yes, i always try to remember to move my necklace out of the way. the one time i didn’t, she ended up with a ktity imprint in her cheek… which of course made her mom and i laugh. seemed quite fitting. and thank you for saying you think i’ll make a great mommy…
heidi — oooh… it’s like we shared a cup of tea together! how wonderful. i’ve read “and her hero” about a half-dozen times already. thank you.
roo — i wish i’d had an aunt lizzy as well… and really? i made you tear up? and you’re reading my blog in class??? am i better than greek??? te quiero tambien.
birgit — absoloodle! i’m lovin’ every moment.
@coloraturajoy says:
i gots tha chills!
this post was so incredibly sweet, it made me almost wish that i were having a baby so i could hear her hiccup!
@coloraturajoy says:
(almost)
:D
“almost” is exactly how i feel, too…
almost…
i wonder if she new that today was aunt lizzie’s birthday and that she finaly turned 21!!!!!!
happy birthday aunt lizzie….
my man niel says if you were her he would take you out for dinner and a dvd…
he still has some food left from his last shopping spree.
he says you are just as beautifull as the day he met you and cant wait to grow old with you !!!!!
i think he misses you…he said ” babes ek mis jou baie en wens jy was hier. veels geluk met jou verjaarsdag. ek kan nie wag om daai lippe te soen nie. geniet jou dag , sien jou een van die dae en dan gaan ons baie lekker vry en lunch eet !!!!
to the rest of you who comented and didnt know it was her birthday….all i can say is … you suck like a little dog…
thanks for passing along that message, AB!
jy moet vir my man sy dat ek mis sy baie (en my afrikaans suck soos a klein hoentjie). ek’s lus for jou. en middageete sal baie lekker wees wanner dat dae kom. july 31, heer ons kom! ek hoe jy van baie lief. baie baie baie. dankie vir my man wees. and vir “putting up” met my. ek soek a drutjie (??) van jou.
and what’s this about aunt lizzy turning 21?! you are too kind!
@cassgirl says:
Oh my gosh.
I feel like a dork!!!!
Happy Birthday!!!!
21 huh??? I was that many (many) years ago. :)
Why didn’t you invite us to the party on your blog?!!!
Have an AWESOME birthday….
i knew it was your birthday! hehe.
Tears…What a beautiful articulation of your deep affinity for sweet little Alece. She and Silas are so blessed to have you in their lives. I know it will be hard to leave your good friends and I’m sure 3 months will seem like an eternity! Love you!
btw. i really dont like my face… err i mean the one it shows when i post. i look so discomforted and very perplexed.
AB — p.s…. kom ons gaan visvang.
heidi — don’t worry. i was 21 many years ago, too.
hannah — i like your star-fishy face. i like your wide eyes and raised brows!
shea — i miss you! sorry i’ve been so out of touch… soon, friend. soon!
It happened…And the anti-blogger did it!
haha…
You’re a good aunt.
I love the thought of her reading this story in a few years, and…well, for the rest of her life. A love letter to Alece.
Love you.
:) Yes, at that moment, you were better than Greek. These days, I feel like class is good, but a bit too long.
And I, too, knew it was your birthday. I just forgot to mention it in my post – since my mind was moderately elsewhere. Maybe partially on my Greek professor’s lecture. So…
Happy Birthday. And I hope it brings good memories, a day of relaxation, and above all… a smile to your face to go along with a heart full of joy.
becca — ’twas bound to happen. and i liked that the announcement said i’m 21. ha! thanks for saying i’m a good aunt. love you, too!
roo — thanks, friend. i’m off to a massage in a bit (compliments of kitty), so it will be a relaxing day indeed!
She’ll never forget you.
Happy Birthday! I didn’t know it was your birthday so thanks for the heads up AB. This post is so sweet. It would for sure make me want to have a baby of my own if I didn’t have one already. I know I told you about my sister and Conrad’s special bond, but I just wanted to remind you of it. She wont remember you because shes to small too, but she will know there is something special between the two of you. Joy is the only other person that Con seems to like. He doesn’t know why, he just does.
@mandythompson says:
someone once told me that if you’re with them in their first year, they will love you for life.
i spent the first year of my nephew’s life playing with him incessantly.
then moved to New England. i’ve only been able to have a handful of “aunt mandy days” in the past two years, but when i’m there he and i are best buddies!
:)
she will also not forget the afrikaans my man niel will teach her and all the signlanguage he knows …. he will also give her a horse , zebra and wildebeest….
he will also give her brother a gun and motorbike..
i think thats all…
o ya and also a wine press and a homebrew kit and a wii and flatscreen tv and a yacht and also a plane and a kayak and fishing gear with a boat..
yes she will need all of that … necesity’s here in south africa..
and aunt lizy may partake in some of the gifts seeing that it is her birthday
and i the anti blogger will be nice on her blog
thats all
haha. you didn’t mention a dog, ab. ….come on! That was a golden opportunity.
@20BOLD11 says:
Oh she is beautiful!!!!!
I think you have baby fever ;) Uh oh Niel, watch out!!!
hehehehehhe seriously, you two are adorable!
happy birthday !!!!!!!!
i think this is where we will be to cellibrate your 30th.
http://www.residenzadaragona.it
love you !!
hope you had a great day!!
hombre
Will you be my aunt? :)
Happy Birthday!!!!
natalie — thank you, friend…
faith — i appreciated the reminder of your story!
mandy — that is so great. makes me hopeful!
antiblogger — that is quite the list. i can see that we’re going to spoil the heck out of these kiddos. fine by me. and you know… you did miss that golden opportunity of including a dog on that list!
becca — ha ha!
ayles — she IS beautiful. absolutely!
hombre — don’t tease me!!!! i love you!
lisa — sure thing! you can call me aunt lizzy if you want!
Happy Birthday Alece. I think you are the kind of person who will always stay 21 in your heart.
Said by someone who has passed that milestone three times. :)
Little “sweet pea” looks so contented in the picture. I think AB is getting jealous. :)
You are a natural with children and I look forward to seeing pictures when you have your own “sweet pea”.
Awwww…sweet.
Happy Birthday, Beece!
Happy Birthday!
Your story was so beautiful and so sweet. I hope it’s written down and pasted in a memory book somewhere. :) And I know exactly what long distance relationships with babies are like. They’re like this: =(
I’m so glad that you have this time with her.
@20BOLD11 says:
Aww I didn’t know it was you birthday….HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU….HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU….HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR LEECE, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU. MAY THE GOOD LORD BLESS YOU. MAY THE GOOD LORD BLESS YOU. MAY THE GOOD LORD BLESS YOU. MAY THE GOOD LORD BLESS YOU!!! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
mooooooooo – thats happy birthday in cow.
haha, remember when we almost hit that cow on the dirt road coming home from (i think hope house)… it was so funny when it jumped the fence just to dive in front of the car! oh and dont forget all the suicide bomber birds.. good times. hehe
@atangie says:
Happy Birthday here on your blog. :-)
Happy Birthday to you…Happy Birthday, dear Alece…Happy Birthday to you!
Little Sweet Pea appears to be at peace in that comfortable spot. The most precious feeling of all, having a baby fall asleep just like that…amazing.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY alece, YAY, hope you had a fantastic day! :)
I think you’re getting a good glimpse of what it will be like when your own little sweet pea works their way into your heart! Are you getting that itch yet? I used to love it when Andrew would sleep on my chest…..the world stops for a moment! :)
@mandythompson says:
Happy Birthday.
its @ngie’s fault.
:)
so. dang. you’re like 30 now. i don’t know if we can be friends. you might make me look old or something…
hmmmmmmmmm…. gonna have to rethink this! ;)
Hello!
It’s my first time here.
And what a post! Very sweet…
Hey, i don’t have time to read all the comments, but you got me tearful. Alece, this all only gets so much more intense once/if you have your own. Isn’t it just wonderful? The best smell IS newborn. And you can’t describe it, you just have to experience it. Aw man. I did NOT forget the big 3-0. i was on a plane. I love you, friend, and hope wherever the heck you are in America you had a jol. I wish we had a big bash here for you… I have heard nothing about one from the blog-hater. God’s peace and happy belated b-day. top of the first hill…;)
I can just TELL by that smile on your face… you’re hooked. Niel will not have any say ( worth mentioning) in it any longer…
Start saving NOW Niel!
O Yeah!… Happy Birthday Aunty Leesh :-)
bet i know what you’ll be getting for your next birthday! :-)
<B
*sniff*
You look like a natural! ;-)
Ohhhh you’re gonna be a GREAT mom! :D
ed — i hope i do stay 21 at heart… and i hope i can be as patient and graceful as amy is when it’s my turn to be a mom.
andrew — thanks, bean!
annie — you got that exactly right. they’re definitely like this: :-(
ayles — thanks for singing to me!
hannah — good memories right there!
gigi — thanks for the happy birthdays everywhere!
michelle — i’ve really enjoyed napping with SweetPea like that…
birgit — i did! i had a great day. my friend treated me to a one-hour massage, which was FANTASTIC!
momma — “the world stops for a moment” was a perfect description. not sure about the itch yet… we’ll see what happens when i leave here on monday!
mandy — yeah… hanging out with me makes you look old. you should steer clear. really. you should.
brainteaster — yay! i’m so glad you joined the g&g familia! thanks for stopping by!
christen — i told him ABSOLUTELY NO party. i put my foot down months ago! ha. so… don’t worry, it’s not that you didn’t get invited! :-) we need to catch up soon!
love/bub — don’t even go there!
bran muff — oooohhhhh, thanks for saying that. you’re so sweet!
The last three entries have started with a T.
The two before the last three were F.
Then one A.
Then two Cs.
I wish that spelled something.
It doesn’t.
But I thought you should know that you’re on a long “T” streak.
i noticed about the “t”s. but not the rest. i’m sure you can come up with something great for that TFAC acronym to stand for.
Tonight
farting
ain’t
constitutional.
Take THAT.
Or how about…
tommy
fell
away
crying
…that’s all I got.
@cassgirl says:
Two
Fat
Animals
Conspiring
Together
forever
always
couple
toilet paper
for
African
Cats
I’d better stop!!!! How was the birthday?!!!!
you ladies cracked me up. becca’s first and heidi’s last are the greatest. love it!
my birthday was really good. my hour-long massage was the highlight!
Hey….sorry we missed your return call. We were cracking up at your email and realized that we needed to turn the ringer back on our phone…it has been off for a little while thanks to a middle of the night call :).
I am looking forward to being Aunt Chardonnay…and the more I read about your adventures in the US….the more I am convinced I should’t have to wait…too long :()!
@ventigrace says:
This made me teary…
I can’t even put in to words how huge it is that you are part of my life… and what a treasure it has been for me to watch my kiddos take over a special place in your heart. They’ll be all the better for the influence of Aunt Lizzy in their lives.
chardonnay — glad you enjoyed my email; i’m sorry that we didn’t get to talk the other day! you two were cracking me up in the voicemail message you left, that’s for sure! (and nice :hint hint nudge nudge: there, char. you’re so subtle!)
maymers — wow… and now you made ME teary. i love you!
What? Why in the world would you contemplate having a dog in the house? What you need to have is babies. Lots and lots of them because you are an incredible mom already.
wow, KA… thank you!
not sure about the “lots and lots” part, but… thank you!