In a follow up to the video about telling people and their reactions, I have to write this down before I forget...
My Mom is the oldest of 14 kids. 14 Italian children, raised in the city of Chicago. My family is large and in charge. Chris laughed while making the video saying, "I thought MY family was loud" and we searched for a way to lower the volume just on the clip of my aunts. My Mom's side of the family is exactly why I want to have a large family of my one... ok maybe not 14 kids, but still I LOVE the gatherings with everyone there talking at once, debating politics, and singing Christmas carols or "Happy Birthday" in a jumble of harmonies and somewhat in unison. Of the 14 children there are now 32 (Including Chris) grandchildren. I being the oldest of the oldest... and the oldest grandchild, and have many memories of most of the kids being born. In a funny round-it-out kind of way the latest and likely last grandchild was born on my birthday... we are exactly 27 years apart. Of course growing up being around kids and women having kids, has made me want to have kids. Just like I used to go to my Aunt and Uncles weddings and daydream about what MY own wedding would be like someday, I've walked into nurseries and thought about my own decorating plans, heard a child's name for the first time and mentally noted names I liked, or watched kids grow and learned parenting techniques. But the best part of being the older cousin is spending time with the kids and being able to remember how precious, crazy, or down right funny they are.
With Chris and I having our own baby the reactions of some of my cousins have been priceless and added to the wonderful memories we are quickly storing away in our hearts. Here are two:
Larissa
My cousin Larissa can be described the way you would describe a character in a novel but you think no one really must look like. She is absolutely perfect. She is the smallest little thing, perpetually the shortest and petite like her mom. She has the blondest, thickest, hair that before being introduced to a straitener was curly and wild. She is quiet and shy until you get her comfortable or talking about Super Mario Bros for the Wii... she is feisty and loveable all at the same time. She rounds out a collection of sisters that we all call "the little ladies" and that is exactly what she is. After telling Larissa's family our good news, after the crying and screaming and laughing, after the hugs and kisses our two families parted ways. I left my cousins with a stern "Don't put ANYTHING on Facebook!" I explained that I still had not told other family and friends yet. From across the parking lot I see my aunt lean in to listen to Larissa. She turns around and calls to me, "Larissa wants to know if you told Chris yet!"
Peter
Peter Michael is the sweetest child you will ever meet. He was born right before my senior year of high school, sharing a birth month, and was deemed my Godson. For probably the first year...two years maybe the kid didn't like me. I remember feeling ridiculous trying to hold him and having him scream his head off. To be fair he really didn't like anyone holding him, but it still stunk just the same. But then he just took on a whole new personality. I guess partially it's hard to distinguish when because I was in college and gone so much but the next thing I knew Pete would write me these beautiful sweeter than sweet cards. He would WANT to do things with me. He would write about me in school homework or just for fun. My aunt secretly showed me a book he was writing and on the first page is said "Dedicated to Annie and Chris". Peter was the ring bearer at our wedding, the kid that would take a black dress from his older sisters running around being "The Daughter of Darkness" (where did that come from?), the boy who set up a sewing machine in his room to teach himself to sew and then joined the hockey team. He, unlike his male cousin counterparts, never outgrew giving me a kiss hello and letting me hold and snuggle him just a bit. After the news of our baby, Peter came to me with a handmade card saying, "A new baby is coming? Congrats on your Baby. With all my luck, Peter M." Which is enough to make me smile and chuckle, but then his mom (my aunt) told me that this was the 2nd draft of cards Peter had made me. The first edition was scrapped because Pete wanted to congratulate Chris and I on something very different, he is obviously growing up... the 1st card read, "Congratulations on your sex."
My Mom is the oldest of 14 kids. 14 Italian children, raised in the city of Chicago. My family is large and in charge. Chris laughed while making the video saying, "I thought MY family was loud" and we searched for a way to lower the volume just on the clip of my aunts. My Mom's side of the family is exactly why I want to have a large family of my one... ok maybe not 14 kids, but still I LOVE the gatherings with everyone there talking at once, debating politics, and singing Christmas carols or "Happy Birthday" in a jumble of harmonies and somewhat in unison. Of the 14 children there are now 32 (Including Chris) grandchildren. I being the oldest of the oldest... and the oldest grandchild, and have many memories of most of the kids being born. In a funny round-it-out kind of way the latest and likely last grandchild was born on my birthday... we are exactly 27 years apart. Of course growing up being around kids and women having kids, has made me want to have kids. Just like I used to go to my Aunt and Uncles weddings and daydream about what MY own wedding would be like someday, I've walked into nurseries and thought about my own decorating plans, heard a child's name for the first time and mentally noted names I liked, or watched kids grow and learned parenting techniques. But the best part of being the older cousin is spending time with the kids and being able to remember how precious, crazy, or down right funny they are.
With Chris and I having our own baby the reactions of some of my cousins have been priceless and added to the wonderful memories we are quickly storing away in our hearts. Here are two:
Larissa
My cousin Larissa can be described the way you would describe a character in a novel but you think no one really must look like. She is absolutely perfect. She is the smallest little thing, perpetually the shortest and petite like her mom. She has the blondest, thickest, hair that before being introduced to a straitener was curly and wild. She is quiet and shy until you get her comfortable or talking about Super Mario Bros for the Wii... she is feisty and loveable all at the same time. She rounds out a collection of sisters that we all call "the little ladies" and that is exactly what she is. After telling Larissa's family our good news, after the crying and screaming and laughing, after the hugs and kisses our two families parted ways. I left my cousins with a stern "Don't put ANYTHING on Facebook!" I explained that I still had not told other family and friends yet. From across the parking lot I see my aunt lean in to listen to Larissa. She turns around and calls to me, "Larissa wants to know if you told Chris yet!"
Peter
Peter Michael is the sweetest child you will ever meet. He was born right before my senior year of high school, sharing a birth month, and was deemed my Godson. For probably the first year...two years maybe the kid didn't like me. I remember feeling ridiculous trying to hold him and having him scream his head off. To be fair he really didn't like anyone holding him, but it still stunk just the same. But then he just took on a whole new personality. I guess partially it's hard to distinguish when because I was in college and gone so much but the next thing I knew Pete would write me these beautiful sweeter than sweet cards. He would WANT to do things with me. He would write about me in school homework or just for fun. My aunt secretly showed me a book he was writing and on the first page is said "Dedicated to Annie and Chris". Peter was the ring bearer at our wedding, the kid that would take a black dress from his older sisters running around being "The Daughter of Darkness" (where did that come from?), the boy who set up a sewing machine in his room to teach himself to sew and then joined the hockey team. He, unlike his male cousin counterparts, never outgrew giving me a kiss hello and letting me hold and snuggle him just a bit. After the news of our baby, Peter came to me with a handmade card saying, "A new baby is coming? Congrats on your Baby. With all my luck, Peter M." Which is enough to make me smile and chuckle, but then his mom (my aunt) told me that this was the 2nd draft of cards Peter had made me. The first edition was scrapped because Pete wanted to congratulate Chris and I on something very different, he is obviously growing up... the 1st card read, "Congratulations on your sex."
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