Godmother Weekend or Why Don't Dogs Like Barry Manilow?

Labor day weekend and the long anticipated Godmother weekend arrives. The baby and girls show up around midnight, but that doesn't keep us from staying up till 3 in the morning. As children our all nighters were executed under the guise of sleepovers. We'd whisper about our latest crushes, who said so and so, the latest antics of the Hambleton brothers. But we're adults now and we drink Cosmopolitans, snack on chicken salad and yell about our latests crushes.

To honor the baby's Latin heritage we dine at La Estrella Del Caribe a Puerto Rican themed restaurant. Radha devours Chuleta Frita - seasoned pork chops fried on the bone. Polly sighs over shrimp fajitas, sweetly sizzling and fragrant with non a traditional Mexican marinade. Patty savors the classic Arroz con Pollo and I happily crunch on Pernil - marbled with indecent amounts of pork butt fat. The baby tries all of it but prefers flirting with the male waiters to food. Hmmmm. Must come from her father's side of the family, since nothing takes precedence over food to a Ched female.

Given the Latin theme for the evening we come home and dance on the deck. Sophia takes turns in our arms as we attempt to Salsa and Merengue. The night serenades us.The 17 year cicadas make whirring Predator noises. A bird simpers in a tree sounding like an injured dog. The motorcycle boys whiz past on their way to Newark. Then the music starts, decently enough with Stan Getz's Brazilian jazz. Ella, Marvin Gaye, Gladys Night. Then it gets weird. Somehow Andrea Bocelli is followed by Meatloaf. And LL Cool J by Barry Manilow. Thy neighbor dog voices his displeasure at a weekend in New England. Then comes the Carpenters. We sing every song word for word of a 2 CD Carpenter complilation. Don't roll your eyes at me, you know the words to Top of the World. Sing it!

A chill enters the evening so we light a fire in the outdoor fireplace. In middle of the immolation of fallen tree branches and a tarot reading Sophia exlaims "Hi Mommy!" This being landmark as her only intelligible words thus far have been "Puppy?"

By noon Monday the girls have already left. No juice bobbies, milk bobbies. No manipulative toddling baby girl flopping around in her pink crocs with a stealthy dog eager to devour bits of bacon falling from bacon, avocado and tomato sandwiches. Just a very tired little white dog, sparkling sangria glasses and an empty house still throbbing with love.

Sophia's First Birthday

Today is my magical neice's first birthday. Her wise mother has made a request to the God parents of her child. Every year we will write a letter to the baby. I will track those letters in this blog. So here is letter 1, The First Year.

June 30, 2009

My dear Sophia,

You don’t know this but you are celebrating your first birthday. Years from now you will look back and think Wow, all that happened when I wasn’t even cognizant. Which is why your beautiful and smart mother thought it would be wise to write a letter to you every birthday. So the three of us, your fairy God mothers – Aunty Polly, Aunty Patty & Aunty Rekha will write a letter every birthday.

I think it’s brilliant. You will see not only how our letters change as you grow from babyhood to teenager to adult. But also how we alter as we, alas, grow older.

There are a few things you should know from the beginning. First of all, you are a magical child. You were conceived, gestated and birthed by extraordinary means. Ask your mom what those words mean in case she hasn’t already had a talk about the birds and the bees.

Your Mom wanted to have a baby for a very long time. But the forces thought it wise to prevent that baby from arriving. You will learn more about the forces as you grow. You will hear about God, about angels, Goddesses in due time. Know they are with you always. If you require their assistance all you need do is ask. So your Mom couldn’t have the baby she wanted and this broke her heart for she is a loving, nurturing, mothering woman. Then one day when she least expected it she found out she was going to have a baby. She was shocked and delighted. This is another thing you will learn, you don’t always get what you want when you want. It’s the law of the universe. I have fought it most of my life as have your aunties. Safe to say the sooner you accept this law, the less time you will spend fighting it.

And then you were born.

You get your beauty from your Mom. You get your gray-green eyes from your Dad. But if I’m not mistaken, you get that irresistible allure, the thing that makes people stop and say Ye Gads, what a charming baby! from your female lineage. It is a powerful and beautiful and mystical and emotional ancestry that you are born into. I hope as you grow you will cherish and ruthless use it, for it is yours. As we are yours to guide, adore and spoil you.

So happy birthday Sophia. Know you are loved by so many people that if we could we would shield you from any pain. We would protect you from any harm on this earth, above or below it. But we will also try to leave you alone so you can taste the glories and miseries of this world. Welcome little one.

Aunty Rekha