Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
We love Bamba!
My mom (or, in her grandparent term, "Bamba") is visiting us, and I can't express how APPRECIATIVE and GRATEFUL I am! She has kept very busy spending high-quality time with Chely, cooking, reading to Chely, cleaning, singing to Chely, washing dishes, chasing and being chased by Chely, picking through the beans, counting in French to Chely while pushing her on the swings, hanging out the laundry, and did I mention playing with Chely? A lot of that playing has involved Chely being literally on top of her, on her shoulders or back or neck...especially when Bamba is holding or paying attention to Kayalá. Chely has definitely claimed Bamba as her own! These pictures give you a sense:
Thank you for everything, Mom...for all the unwavering love and support you've showered on me all these years, and for all the love and fun and caring you are now showering on my children. You have shared so openly of your lively spirit, creative mind, and compassionate heart. We love you!!
Thank you for everything, Mom...for all the unwavering love and support you've showered on me all these years, and for all the love and fun and caring you are now showering on my children. You have shared so openly of your lively spirit, creative mind, and compassionate heart. We love you!!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Ode to Fathers / Tatos
A great big shout-out to all the fathers - papás - tatos out there. Good fathering is a gift beyond words.
To Edwin, the Tato of my children-- insightful, creative, fun, compassionate, brave, wise, and loving -- maltyox chawe, at sib'alaj utz tat rech qalk'ual. Sib'alaj katqaj!
To my dad -- kind, generous, understanding, sensitive, wise, and loving -- thank you for your unconditional support, constant caring, and heartfelt acceptance. We love you!
To my father-in-law -- tranquil, spiritually rich, empathetic, courageous, wise, and loving -- maltyox chawe, todo nuestro respeto y amor.
We love you so much!
Chely, Kayalá, and Ali
To Edwin, the Tato of my children-- insightful, creative, fun, compassionate, brave, wise, and loving -- maltyox chawe, at sib'alaj utz tat rech qalk'ual. Sib'alaj katqaj!
To my dad -- kind, generous, understanding, sensitive, wise, and loving -- thank you for your unconditional support, constant caring, and heartfelt acceptance. We love you!
To my father-in-law -- tranquil, spiritually rich, empathetic, courageous, wise, and loving -- maltyox chawe, todo nuestro respeto y amor.
We love you so much!
Chely, Kayalá, and Ali
Friday, June 19, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
A baby is born!
Introducing Kayalá Guadalupe Janet!
born in the water
on June 11 at 11pm
weighing 7 pounds 7 ounces, measuring 51 centimeters (20 inches)
Chely holds her baby sister
proud Tato (Dad)
happy Mama an hour after giving birth - i did it!!!
with sister and friends
welcome to the world, Kayalá Guadalupe Janet!
A note about her names:
KAYALÁ
Kayalá (pronounced "kah-yah-LAH") means "earthly paradise," a place of abundant vegetation and exceptional beauty, a place where peace, harmony, and wisdom reign. It is referred to in the Maya book of wisdom, the Pop Wuj, as the place of origin of corn.
GUADALUPE
Guadalupe was Edwin's older sister who was killed in the Santa Maria Tzejá massacre when she was 8 years old. Edwin and Guadalupe would often go to the river together to swim and wash clothes.
Our Lady of Guadalupe is also an important spiritual figure throughout Latin America.
JANET
The name Janet is in honor of my cherished aunt, my dad's sister, Janet Durbin Sisto. She was thoughtful, kind, and witty. She always picked out perfect presents for people - a sign of how perceptive and caring she was.
Chely so far calls her sister "Little Kissy."
We are are so blessed to have you in our family, Kayalá Guadalupe Janet! Thank you for the joy and the miracle that you are!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Recent photos of Graciela
I figured I should post some photos of Chely before the new baby comes...
With best friend Celeste:
Best friends play together, get chicken pox together - here they are showing off their pox:
With Micaela, Celeste's mom, who took care of Chely for over a year:
Playing with friends:
Holding friend Diego:
Playing with some very special angels given to her by her great-grandparents:
Ready to go to a birthday party:
At dances:
Loving fruit:
Hard at work:
Chely: "Tato, kpe inchul (I have to pee)." Edwin: "Utz la' (OK)." Chely: "Ma li jun wuj, kwaj kinwil jun wuj pacha at ruk' Nan (Bring me a book so I can read like you and Mom)."
And finally, playing her favorite game with Tato:
With best friend Celeste:
Best friends play together, get chicken pox together - here they are showing off their pox:
With Micaela, Celeste's mom, who took care of Chely for over a year:
Playing with friends:
Holding friend Diego:
Playing with some very special angels given to her by her great-grandparents:
Ready to go to a birthday party:
At dances:
Loving fruit:
Hard at work:
Chely: "Tato, kpe inchul (I have to pee)." Edwin: "Utz la' (OK)." Chely: "Ma li jun wuj, kwaj kinwil jun wuj pacha at ruk' Nan (Bring me a book so I can read like you and Mom)."
And finally, playing her favorite game with Tato:
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Compassion and imagination
COMPASSION
It is heartening to see compassion in a three-year-old. One day we were walking in a park and saw a homeless man. Later, as we were walking home, Chely looked up with me with worried eyes and said, "What could we do about that man?"
She gets upset when someone is sick or hurt. She always tries to figure out a solution, often involving giving the person a massage or medicine or a great big hug.
She has cried at several videos, including The Red Balloon (when a teacher encloses the boy in a room, and when some mean kids hit the balloon with rocks), Sesame Street: Follow that Bird (when Big Bird and the other characters sing a song in the moonlight about missing one another), Ice Age (when the mammoth and sloth say good-bye to the baby), and Sesame Street: Learning to Share (when Big Bird gets upset when his/her block tower is knocked down).
Sometimes we worry that she is too sensitive for this harsh world...to the extent that she will end up getting hurt because she has no protective shell. She has had no exposure to hitting or other abuse and rarely even hears a raised voice -- as Edwin says, "at our home it's like living in Sweden." !! So she reacts quite strongly when she encounters something upsetting.
The first time I saw a child treat Chely in a mean way (on my birthday this year, of all times) I felt that my heart was going to break...even more so when I realized that she has a lifetime in store for her of hard moments, and as a parent I am powerlesss to prevent her pain.
But I am so pleased to witness and encourage her compassion and generosity. One of my precious memories of her is when friends of ours had just had a baby and I suggested that she choose one of her toys to give to the new baby. She picked out her very favorite doll!!! As she gave it to the baby's dad, her face was aglow with joy.
IMAGINATION
One of the most wonderful parts of being a parent for me so far is witnessing my child's rich and active imagination. Anything can become anything. Chely makes up stories and plays with anything at hand. She particularly likes to do pretend birthday parties, school, trips, and meals. She'll spend close to an hour making an elaborate feast out of flowers, leaves, and water.
Here she is playing airplane:
In this video a plate of beans with nachos becomes a slide:
She has made up a game called Montaña, meaning "Mountain" - make sure you pronounce the ñ as "ny" i.e. "Montanya"- it is not at all related to Hannah Montana - she wouldn't have a clue who that is! The game involves one person calling out "¡Montaña!" and the other person trying to grab him/her by her ankles or shoulders. It's pretty fun.
Chely has several imaginary friends, the one she most commonly mentions being "Pimbili." She also has an imaginary language, which fittingly enough is spoken by her imaginary friends. Here she explains one of her made-up words:
Her drawings are also a treasure to me. Recent works have included A Crab That Dances, Pizza, A Snail with a Big New Hand that's Touching the Water and is Going to Plant a Seed Next to a Plant, and a whole series of people with chicken pox (she had chicken pox recently even though she'd been vaccinated against it - a mild case, though). Speaking of chicken pox, one night at supper she announced that her tortilla had chicken pox. Here it is:
And here's a design she made in the Ixcan:
It is heartening to see compassion in a three-year-old. One day we were walking in a park and saw a homeless man. Later, as we were walking home, Chely looked up with me with worried eyes and said, "What could we do about that man?"
She gets upset when someone is sick or hurt. She always tries to figure out a solution, often involving giving the person a massage or medicine or a great big hug.
She has cried at several videos, including The Red Balloon (when a teacher encloses the boy in a room, and when some mean kids hit the balloon with rocks), Sesame Street: Follow that Bird (when Big Bird and the other characters sing a song in the moonlight about missing one another), Ice Age (when the mammoth and sloth say good-bye to the baby), and Sesame Street: Learning to Share (when Big Bird gets upset when his/her block tower is knocked down).
Sometimes we worry that she is too sensitive for this harsh world...to the extent that she will end up getting hurt because she has no protective shell. She has had no exposure to hitting or other abuse and rarely even hears a raised voice -- as Edwin says, "at our home it's like living in Sweden." !! So she reacts quite strongly when she encounters something upsetting.
The first time I saw a child treat Chely in a mean way (on my birthday this year, of all times) I felt that my heart was going to break...even more so when I realized that she has a lifetime in store for her of hard moments, and as a parent I am powerlesss to prevent her pain.
But I am so pleased to witness and encourage her compassion and generosity. One of my precious memories of her is when friends of ours had just had a baby and I suggested that she choose one of her toys to give to the new baby. She picked out her very favorite doll!!! As she gave it to the baby's dad, her face was aglow with joy.
IMAGINATION
One of the most wonderful parts of being a parent for me so far is witnessing my child's rich and active imagination. Anything can become anything. Chely makes up stories and plays with anything at hand. She particularly likes to do pretend birthday parties, school, trips, and meals. She'll spend close to an hour making an elaborate feast out of flowers, leaves, and water.
Here she is playing airplane:
In this video a plate of beans with nachos becomes a slide:
She has made up a game called Montaña, meaning "Mountain" - make sure you pronounce the ñ as "ny" i.e. "Montanya"- it is not at all related to Hannah Montana - she wouldn't have a clue who that is! The game involves one person calling out "¡Montaña!" and the other person trying to grab him/her by her ankles or shoulders. It's pretty fun.
Chely has several imaginary friends, the one she most commonly mentions being "Pimbili." She also has an imaginary language, which fittingly enough is spoken by her imaginary friends. Here she explains one of her made-up words:
Her drawings are also a treasure to me. Recent works have included A Crab That Dances, Pizza, A Snail with a Big New Hand that's Touching the Water and is Going to Plant a Seed Next to a Plant, and a whole series of people with chicken pox (she had chicken pox recently even though she'd been vaccinated against it - a mild case, though). Speaking of chicken pox, one night at supper she announced that her tortilla had chicken pox. Here it is:
And here's a design she made in the Ixcan:
Thursday, June 4, 2009
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