Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Happy Birthday, Little Flower!


Michelle, you were my first "Brazilian" baby and while you were still in the hospital, friends came to visit us and brought two pairs of pierced earrings! I didn't know what to do because it wasn't the custom in the USA to pierce little babies' ears and the idea seemed strange to me. Before coming to Brazil I had seen little Mexican girls with pierced ears and thought it very ugly, but now I wondered if I would offend my Brazilian friends by not doing the piercing. In the end, I didn't have the courage, and we went home from the hospital without doing it. Then I changed my mind when you were two months old. I took you back to the same clinic where you were born to get your shots and had the nurses pierce your ears. They assured me you wouldn't feel a thing, but if my memory serves me well, I heard you crying....I ended up being glad I had your ears pierced. I got used to seeing Brazilian babies with pierced ears and what had once looked strange now looked normal and beautiful, and you looked so dainty and feminine and beautiful, too.
And you still do. You're a beautiful woman now. Happiest of Birthdays to you!! I love you very much and am proud to be your mama.

1 comment:

Michelle said...

Thanks, Mom... you're so sweet...