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Today my oldest nephew turns 9. I think I'm still in a state of shock. I remember teaching myself some Spanish lullabies to be able to sing to him, but the only one that really stuck (and I have now sang to ALL five of them) is Elefantes. On the day he was born, it was the first day of a new semester where I was a TA for the "Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion" (aka 'Intro to Anthropology of Religion') class. It was the first day I met my students and I remember the only down side to it was that I couldn't be in the hospital with my family waiting for this little guy to meet us.
I'm pretty sure I was the one that threw out the name 'Diego' one day while we sat around thinking about names for the baby. I know I cried with happiness when they told us they decided to go with that name.
Diego was a very difficult baby. He was a colicky baby. It took my grandmother, my mother, and myself to watch him for any extended period of time, because he required constant carrying.
When he was six weeks old, I drove with my brother, sister-in-law, and Diego to Salt Lake City, UT - not a very short drive. He cried for nearly the entire trip, but I was going so I could babysit him while my brother and SiL went to some church event. After about an hour and a half of watching him, I think I was crying because I couldn't figure out how to help him stop crying. I sang to him and it did ease him a bit. When he fell asleep once I counted to sixty-something elephants (see the song above), I knew that this kid had me wrapped around his little finger.
In his first year, I took more than 30 roles of 25 or 40 exposure film. For his first birthday alone, I used 3 rolls. I have a scrapbook started, but there were so many pictures, it became too difficult to even manage.
Some say we were making up for the time we didn't get with Madison, and there may be some truth to that, but honestly? I wouldn't change a thing. From the minute he was born, he's known he was loved.
My brother recently told me about an art project at his school. The kids were asked to draw their family. Diego was the only one that actually drew them all holding hands ~ apparently a sign that he is very comfortable and happy with his home life. In the sky behind them was a cloud with a baby on it. Madison.
Right now he's being home schooled and I can't say I'm very happy about it. At all. I know there were extenuating circumstances and it wasn't supposed to happen this year, but it doesn't make it any easier. As he gets older, I think the hardest thing for me to do will be to sit back and watch him forgo college for a mission (if he chooses to do that). However, whatever he does, I'm sure I'll find it within me to support him. How can I not? He means the world to me.
Now that he's nine, he's much more quiet. VERY shy (much like I was as a child). Still, he makes me smile. He makes me happy just knowing he's around and there's nothing like his laugh.
I doubt he'll ever see this, but I just had to write a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my eldest nephew. My Diego.
I'm pretty sure I was the one that threw out the name 'Diego' one day while we sat around thinking about names for the baby. I know I cried with happiness when they told us they decided to go with that name.
Diego was a very difficult baby. He was a colicky baby. It took my grandmother, my mother, and myself to watch him for any extended period of time, because he required constant carrying.
When he was six weeks old, I drove with my brother, sister-in-law, and Diego to Salt Lake City, UT - not a very short drive. He cried for nearly the entire trip, but I was going so I could babysit him while my brother and SiL went to some church event. After about an hour and a half of watching him, I think I was crying because I couldn't figure out how to help him stop crying. I sang to him and it did ease him a bit. When he fell asleep once I counted to sixty-something elephants (see the song above), I knew that this kid had me wrapped around his little finger.
In his first year, I took more than 30 roles of 25 or 40 exposure film. For his first birthday alone, I used 3 rolls. I have a scrapbook started, but there were so many pictures, it became too difficult to even manage.
Some say we were making up for the time we didn't get with Madison, and there may be some truth to that, but honestly? I wouldn't change a thing. From the minute he was born, he's known he was loved.
My brother recently told me about an art project at his school. The kids were asked to draw their family. Diego was the only one that actually drew them all holding hands ~ apparently a sign that he is very comfortable and happy with his home life. In the sky behind them was a cloud with a baby on it. Madison.
Right now he's being home schooled and I can't say I'm very happy about it. At all. I know there were extenuating circumstances and it wasn't supposed to happen this year, but it doesn't make it any easier. As he gets older, I think the hardest thing for me to do will be to sit back and watch him forgo college for a mission (if he chooses to do that). However, whatever he does, I'm sure I'll find it within me to support him. How can I not? He means the world to me.
Now that he's nine, he's much more quiet. VERY shy (much like I was as a child). Still, he makes me smile. He makes me happy just knowing he's around and there's nothing like his laugh.
I doubt he'll ever see this, but I just had to write a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my eldest nephew. My Diego.
