{this weekend we dressed Lauren up in her Sunday best, a Southern smocked little ensemble.
When I put on that bonnet, my heart burst...}
{1}
Our happy little girl received her 4 month shots today. The pediatrician has been a huge stressor for me since arriving in Colombia. Even more so than the lack of seat belts {seat belts exist in very few taxis}.
Matt and I were left feeling confident and pleased with Lauren's Colombian pediatrician. He speaks excellent English, provided her with a thorough check, and was very knowledgable. He gave us his cell phone number and a clean bill of health.
Lauren measured in at 25.25 inches and 13 lb. 13 oz.
{The weight has some error. He weighed Lauren with her everything on, but her pants and I am fairly sure she had a wet diaper as well. So take that into consideration.}
He informed us that she will in fact, be bigger than her mother.
{check out those long legs...}
{2}
Matt and I celebrated 8 years of marriage on Tuesday, our third anniversary in Colombia. Sometimes it's hard to believe we've been here that long. We had a lot to celebrate, another wonderful year, full of sacrifices that lead to a stronger marriage and the most amazing gift, our beautiful daughter.
We had a lovely evening out with our dolly celebrating at one of our favorite restaurants in Cartagena, Hotel Sofitel, toasting with a glass of wine, rather than the bottle.
I also received an amazing bouquet of flowers. Matt's driver delivered them in the middle of the day, which was a sweet & beautiful surprise.
{3}
I am quite behind on posts, however, I have backtracked and done a blog post on our Thanksgiving and our trip to Hawaii.
Christmas is still on the to-do list.
{4}
Since arriving in Colombia I've received a lot of questions as to why Lauren's ears are not pierced.
Apparently in Colombia baby girls get their ears pierced.
That's just what you do.
I've been told that as long as it is done within a few days of birth, it does not cause them pain.
There is a lot about Colombian culture I am willing to embrace,
but Lauren will not be getting her ears pierced.
Not for several years.
{this baby turban head band slays me. every. single. time.}
{5}
January 28th not only marked 8 years of marriage for Matt and I, but it also marked the birth of Lauren's BFF. Our dear friends, Matt & Kathleen Schroeder, welcomed the most precious baby girl, Grace Marie, into this big beautiful world on Tuesday afternoon. Gracie is so blessed to have such amazing parents and we look so forward to sharing this beautiful journey of parenthood with the both of them.
We've been telling Lauren all about her BFF and how much fun they will have together. We're hoping to get our girls together in a few months,
unless of course I book a spontaneous trip to Chicago...
Hope you don't mind me writing you a PM, but wanted to share an insight about why "...you receive a lot of questions as to why Lauren's ears are not pierced." In Hispanic cultures, earrings in little girls signify they are loved by their family and not just gender identification. I'm WASPY mom, but actually learned this from my SIL who is from Columbia.
ReplyDeleteMy SIL told me baby girls with pierced earrings are considered a sign of love and devotion to a baby girl. Having your baby girl's ears pierced with little gold balls or red stones are inserted show the baby girl is loved in a male dominated culture. These often come from godparents or friends.
Finally, at 4 months after gaining this insight from my SIL, we took her to have her ears pierced after consulting with our ped who actually encouraged me to have it done when mommy could care for them. She gave me a list of ideas for "moms having their dd's ears pierced" which I'd be happy to share with you.
My daughter is two now and looking back, I now realize why it is a nice tradition to to show they are loved by all. I'm glad now I did it and she looks adorable.
Like you, I was opposed to having our daughter's ears pierced early, but afterwards, I received a great deal of warm embraces from my family and others as I followed this Columbian tradition which is very common in Hispanic cultures and not unique to Columbia.
amyswor1765@gmail.com
Thanks for sharing some more insight behind the tradition. I hope I didn't come across disrespectful. The Colombian people are full of love and I know that this tradition is something that comes from that. It is just not something I was considering for my family. Thanks for sharing your story!
DeleteYou are most welcome for the insight why so many Columbian and Hispanic cultures often embrace ear piercing for infants and little girls. Certainly, no offense taken about Columbian culture. I grew up with a “white bread" mother who didn’t pierce her ears until she was well into her 30s, having been told by my grandmother that only gypsies had pierced ears. It just wasn't part of "our culture."
ReplyDeleteFast forward to present where a parental decision to pierce their baby or little girl is a personal one for sure. “Let them decide” is slowly being replaced by parental decision when mommy intuition senses “earlier is better” from either personal or friend’s experiences of unpleasant childhood ear piercing.
Cerebrally, as mothers of girls of all ages, we know they will want them pierced at some age because it celebrates their femaleness and femininity. After all, they are little girls, right?
I never pictured myself piercing my baby’s ears. However, when my daughter was born, I became curious as to what others’ opinions were on the subject of infant ear piercing as you have when asked, "...why Lauren's ears are not pierced." For many years I was against ear piercing for infants and felt sorry for those poor baby girls who’s ears had been pierced against their will. But I will be the first to admit that my feelings have changed on many issues over the years as I became "one of those moms" who pierced their baby's ears.
As you see more babies with cute earrings in Columbia, you may one day change your mind. Promise it will be okay and your daughter will be adorable with them.
Amy