Emilio celebrated his first Mother’s Day by taking an afternoon nap with his mamá, letting me trace his hand print on a Mother’s Day card, joining his mother and me on a flower inspection tour of the barrio (see photo at left), and accompanying us to Sweet Occasions—home of one of our barrio's most successful "cream" pushers (they hooked me up with some premium butter pecan; Mari opted for Zanzibar chocolate and lemon ice). My contribution to the day included lunch preparation (BLTs), dish washeration, and gift presentation: a hammer-and-sickle tee, a book about education by pedagogical provacateur Alfie Kohn, and two wallet-sized photos of e.r.b. , thereby honoring the radical, intellectual, and sentimental facets of la mamá de Emilio.During our stroll, we enjoyed getting a chance to talk to my mom and were pleased to hear that the card (featuring Emilio’s outlined hand) and gift (a framed 8”x10” photo of two smiling Chicago Benton-men) we sent her had arrived in timely fashion.
It was good to hear that her day was going well, that the Olivia & Grandmother Show had been a big hit at the morning service at University Christian, that Mom was able to maintain her cool even though Olivia had beaten her at Uno at least half a dozen times over the course of the weekend, that Schlotzsky’s sandwiches and Lisa’s homemade buttermilk pie and Melissa’s famous dip had been savored, and that Lisa’s home-made collage card and the Anne LaMott books she gave her as well as the new clothes she got from Brian and Lyndsae were sincerely appreciated (sorry if I’ve forgotten other crucial details of our conversation and the gifts that Mom was given!).It was, in short, a day of peace for my mother and for the mother of my son and for that I am oh, so thankful.
6 comments:
a shout out to all the mothers...and especially to Mari on her first mother's day.
Thank you Steve for the wonderful day!
And to Melissa for the shout out!
And to Lisa, for giving us the idea of the BLTs
sounds like you did it up right on at the Foster home. well done!
We all had a great day, sounds like. I look at my picture every morning when I first wake up and every night before I go to sleep and see that laughing boy! And I smile.
How special! Emilio will be a natural journaler when he sees what his mama' and papa have begun for him. By the way, is that what Emilio will call you, Steve? With the accent where? Of course, I know that Maria will be mama', but I have a question. Chico told me that there is a different pronunciation accent for mama' in terms of when a baby is nursing and after they stop. Is this true in your experience?
I don’t care what Emilio calls me: Papá, Dad, whatever comes naturally to him. But you are right: Mari wants to be called "Mamá," emphasis on the last syllable.
I have never heard of putting the accent on the first syllable as a way of distinguishing between a mother who is nursing and one who is not. I thought putting the accent on the first syllable was just a jokey colloquialism
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