Autumn joy…

(Es un) cuartito los dos… [We were both in a little room]

Veneno que tu tomabas… [You took the same poison as me]

Veneno tomaba yo…

Y ahora si que estoy a gusto… [Now I am enjoying]

Que estoy cantando y bailando… [Singing and dancing]

Con personas mi gusto… [With people that I like]

Lo tiene to(do)…

Y eres bonita/o de corazon…

— Buleria de Jerez standard melody letra y coletilla, author unknown

Little Gem and Starshine like to do a lot of preparation in advance of big events in their lives…

This is something they come by honestly…

When I was pregnant with Little Gem,

I made a list of all of the things I wanted and needed to do before she was born…

The last I thing on the list was sewing a roman blind for Starshine’s tiny bedroom…

I remember the day I completed it and screwed the supports into the window frame,

satisfied with my work,

even though,

technically speaking,

it wasn’t perfect…

That evening a friend called to say she was making me a brioche,

so I’d have something special to eat after the birth…

I went over to her apartment to pick it up,

and said,

I’m ready for this baby to come now…

I’ve done everything on the list…

My friend’s husband is an electrician,

but for some reason he has knowledge of shiatsu pressure points,

and went to work on my feet,

in order to help move things along…

I went home,

and woke up the next morning with slight cramping,

singing the sound of “O”…

Given the diagnosis of an efficient uterus,

from my midwives,

after what they witnessed when Starshine was born,

I was under strict instructions to call them the minute I felt a sign of ANYTHING…

So I made the call…

I said,

It’s possible that things could be starting…

The midwife on call told me to get in the tub to try to keep things on hold until she could get there,

immediately got in the car,

and headed over to set up…

I splashed around in the water making phone calls,

like it was a regular day at the office…

At 11:50 am. a colleague called from the Planetarium,

asking if I was still planning on meeting the staff for lunch,

and the Pro-D day…

I said I didn’t think I could make it,

that there was a chance I was in labour…

At 12:10 pm. September 27, 2002,

Little Gem shot into this world like a cannon…

Every once in a while I run into a woman who lives in England,

but comes to stay with her daughter whenever a grandchild is about to be born…

She was here to meet the second one who came the day after Little Gem,

and she told me,

when I saw her with the fourth,

last Summer,

I’ve had four children of my own,

including a set of twins,

and lots of grandchildren…

But one of my favourite memories ever is seeing you call out to us,

from the open windows,

on that hot autumn day,

to tell us,

The baby is here!!!

It was a moment I will never forget…

A week or so ago Little Gem asked me,

So Mama,

I wonder where you’ll be getting those walkie talkies for my birthday present…

I told her to hold her horses,

that she may have to wait until Christmas,

for when she really needs them…

She’s had her birthday party this afternoon,

with her school friends,

at the bowling alley…

And when we had our visit this morning,

as I walked her to flamenco class and back to meet her Papa,

we reflected on all that has happened,

in the last eight years,

since the day of her birth…

And all that is to come…