Page 45 of Fall
Getting back to the subject of the time capsule, can you believe it? You'll be almost eleven years old when we hit that milestone. I know because we carved two dates into the red oak tree trunk. The day we buried the time capsule, and the day we're supposed to unearthit.
I don’t know if Lily and Andy remember our childhood project. We lost touch years ago when they went off to college, but their families still live in the neighborhood. Maybe I’ll look them up and remind them.
Hope to share that milestone with you when you’re older!
With love,
Your Mother
To My Baby - LetterTwo
Hello, blueberry!
I’m seven weeks pregnant, and that means you’re about the size of a blueberry. I was nauseous on most mornings of this past week, but not to worry. It’s perfectly normal. And it’s a sign that you’re strong, I hear. That’s what my Nonna says, anyway.
Nonna is Italian for grandmother, I should mention. That’s where your father’s and my family arefrom, originally. One day when you’re older, we’ll take you there to visit both of our famiglias. You have so many cousins and great aunts and great uncles. I’m an only child, but your father has two brothers and a sister. They’re all so excited to meet you!
I'm going to keep this letter short, because my morning sickness has been sticking around for much longer than just the mornings.I think they should call it pregnancy sickness.
In any case, I promise you a much longer one next week.
With love,
Your Mother
To My Baby - Letter Three
Hello, raspberry!
I’m eight weeks pregnant. That’s almost two whole months! The growth charts in the baby book I’m reading says that you’re around thesize of a raspberry, and you’re growing at the rate of about one millimeter per day. I can’t picture what a millimeter looks like, because we use inches, feet, and pounds, not the metric system. But that’s still a lot!
I’m still having morning sickness, but there’s more going on in my digestive system this week. Let’s just say that if I had a couple of clothespins handy, your father andI wouldn’t use them to hang laundry. They would be pinching our noses! I’m sure you’ll smile when you come to understand what I’m talking about. Definitely when you’re older.
I also have some news for you! Your father's mother, your last living Nonna, will be moving in with us. Nonna Romano is from a big, influential family back in Italy. This is the part from a couple of letters ago,where I mentioned that families are a bit different in the home country. Here in American culture, government, business, religion, and family have a clear separation between them. In Italy, all of these entities have a lot more overlap, and often, they all work together to take care of one another. Together, we solve problems internally, preserve our customs, defend what we own, and keep familiessafe. Within our society, we all have a role to play, and we all know our place, and how we're supposed to treat one another. It's just our way, and for the most part, it works excellently. We might be called a mob family here in America, or an organized crime family. But soon, when you're older, you'll see that it's not quite that simple.
Anyway, Nonna Romano will be here in a few monthsto help me take care of you. You’re not her first grandchild, but between you and me, I think she sees something unique in your father. The famiglia might be grooming him to take over some of their businesses. We’ll find out more when she arrives. She’s so excited that you’re on the way!
With love,
Your Mother
To My Baby - LetterFour
Hello, cherry!
You've been forming and growing inside me for nine weeks, my darling! You've officially graduated from an embryo to a fetus, according to all the baby books. I honestly don't remember what my life was like before I learned about you, love. The doctor and everything I've been reading says it's normal for me to feel that way. Isn't that something?
Your father is so very excited. Just this morning, he was talking about how much he’s looking forward to the day you’re born. While he was mentioning you, we both started wondering whether you could hear us. The funny thing is, he referred to you as ‘she’. I don’t know if he has an inside line to your gender, but the more I think about his slip of the tongue, the more I feel it’s truly sweet.
You see, I know I mentioned a bit about this before, but you’re going to be born into an Italian family, and it’s one where on both sides of our family, they’ve grown used to boys being the firstborn child. So if you’re female, you’ll seriously be breaking with tradition. That’s why I think it’s sweet that your father might secretly be hoping for you to be a girl. No matter whether you’rea girl or a boy, we’re both going to have so much love for you. We already do.
As for me, I've had a really good week, symptoms-wise. Your great paternal grandmother, Nonna Romano, gave me her family's home remedy for morning sickness. I tried it, and it worked! I never thought grated ginger, lemon peel, and lukewarm aranciata soda would taste the least bit bearable, let alone do thetrick. She also suggested that I should sleep with a heating pad. It's not a bad idea, considering that the weather had been close to the freezing mark around here lately.
Speaking of, I think it’s time to wrap up this week’s letter and crank up the heat some more. Thank you for coming into our lives, little one.
With love,
Your Mother
