Hi, Mom. You’re . . . a grandma.
But don’t worry–it becomes you!
I’ve never seen such an enthusiastic grandma.
She is determined to teach James how to speak Spanish, singing him ‘Cinco lobitos tiene la loba’ and crooning to him in a language we rarely speak as a family any more.
Little James is probably bilingual already, based on her dedication alone.
Hola, amigos.
Hola James.
When Heidi announced that little James was on the way–and even prior to that–we liked to talk about what Mom and Dad would be called. ‘Grandma’ just didn’t seem spiffy enough for this energetic, artistic mother of ours named Twinky.
So I coined ‘Mama Twink’ for her and ‘Papa Rick’ for Dad in this blog post last year.
Who knew that they would accept these names so easily? Mom, Dad: you have been named by my blog. How do you feel about that? Confused? Brainwashed? Elated?
Of course, the true test will be once the granchildren are speaking. Will they take to those names? Because right now James seems to be calling them things like “aaaaaiiiii” and “eeeoooo.” Bilingual or not, this kid could use some lessons in enunciation. When he says “aaaaaa” I’m never sure if he’s referring to the piece Time magazine just did on the 100 most influential people or his opinion on the legacy of the Daleys in Chicago politics.
During their time together, Mama Twink did a great job teaching small James the art of metallurgy and jewelry design.
You like my necklace, huh little James? Well tell you what–I’ll buy you a tiny welder and a tiny welding mask, we’ll review the benefits of different alloys, and then we’ll choose the best one for our design.
Okay Mama Twink: I choose copper and bronze, studded with fragments of turquoise. Can we eat it when we’re done, do you think?
Mom, you’re equipping this young man for the future. Good work.
Of course, when the little man got tired from all these valuable lessons in languages and the craftsmanship of making your own necklace chain, Mama Twink settled him in for a snuggle.
He’s just a baby after all, with a grandma who loves him very much.
Babies release so many endorphins into my soul, it’s absolutely insane. Especially one as adorable as baby James! I need to start thinking of fun names for my future kids to call my parents. After hearing “Mama Twink” I just don’t think grandma and grandpa are going to cut it anymore.
Jenna, that last b&w photo is absolutely precious.
gorgeous.
Oh, Jenna…. that last B&W photo of your mother with Sweet Baby James is beyond wonderful. She’s a gorgeous grandmother, and I can feel the love! Speaking from experience, Mama Twinks is going to LOVE being a grandmother. There’s nothing else like it in the entire world.
That last picture is heart meltingly lovely.
Mama Twink sure is a beautiful abuela. Her daughters get it honestly 😀
Cinco lobitos tiene la loba
blancos y negros detrás de la escoba.
Cinco crió, cinco cuidó*
y a todos los cinco
tetita les dio.
The she-wolf has five cubs,
White and black behind the broom.
Five she bred, five she took care of,
And the five of them
She nursed.
I remember singing this to my children and grandchildren….brought back memories..thank you Mama Twink for a blast from the past.
When I studied in Mexico City YEARS ago, there was a new granddaughter in the family, and this was the version I learned from them:
Cinco lobitos tiene la loba
Blancos y negros al pie de la loma.
Cinco tenia, cinco criaba
Carne y leche y papas les daba.
Five little wolves had the Mama wolf
White and black at the foot of the hill.
Five she had, five she raised,
Meat and milk and potatoes she gave (them).
My guess is that there are many variations out there. It is fun to watch James calm down and watch my hand move with its “cinco lobitos” as he hears the singing. He may only ever know this much Spanish, but it’s something!!
So by your comment I’m guessing that you have safely arrived in Alaska with Heidi and James in tow?
yes, indeedy-doo! Except for Heidi’s cell phone getting lost (slipped out of the back pack on the floor of the plane?), everything went fine!
Ooooh what a lovely post! Your mother is beautiful, and your photos…gaaaahhhh! This post has been a highlight in a very stressful workday for me 🙂 Cute baby James + awesome family of yours + funny writing = siiiigh. yay!
What a utterly heartwarming and melting pair!! Oh my gosh, I’m a goner.
Jenna, these photos are precious! What a beautiful baby and lovely mother. You are so blessed!
Sin duda Mama Twink ha tenido una espléndida idea queriendo enseñar español a Baby James,siempre es bueno saber idiomas…
Si quieres te mandaré la canción de los números para ampliar su vocabulario.
Eres una artista con la cámara.
Besos
This pictures touch my heart. Such beautiful shots.
Las fotos son una chulada, Jenna. La “abuela Twinky” se ha empeñado en que James oiga otra lengua distinta y eso a la larga le beneficiará. Conozco a un profesor de inglés que desde que nació su bebé, él le ha hablado en inglés (aunque es español) y su mujer en español. El chico que ahora tiene siete años, siempre sabe que cuando se dirige a su padre debe hacerlo en inglés y a mamá en español. Entre los padres hablan español cuando él no está delante o duerme…al final te aseguro que es totalmente bilingüe, y les da varias vueltas a sus compañeros que ahora con siete años están con el “ei, bi, ci, di , i, ef yi”, en tanto que él mantiene largas conversaciones con su padre. ¡Ojala hubieran hecho algo así conmigo! ja,ja. Lo de tu madre es tesón, y lo demás son tontadas. Cuando James crezca, lo ponéis en un avión y nos lo enviáis para acá, que ya le terminaremos de enseñar por aquí lo que haga falta!
Eres una artista. Cada día me gustan mas tus fotos y tus recetas!
Besos!!!
Gracias Paloma!! Por mi parte no sé si quiero hablar español con mis (futuros pero posibles) hijos . . . como Adam no habla super bien (habla con buen acento pero muy poquito) creo que sería extraño
estar diciendo cosas que él no entiende. Además, con cada año que pasa el nivel de mi español desciende más y más, je je je. Creo que intentaré encontrar un babysitter que habla español, o los enviaré para España, o pasarán un montón de tiempo con su abuela.
Yo pienso que si de alguna forma no planeada termino con un hijo, me gustaria mandarlo a una escuela de esas que hacen 100% immersion en un idioma (español claro). Mi español no es muy bueno y eso me da mucha tristeza. La verdad que ir a visitar paises donde conoces la lengua es muy diferente que ir a un pais completamente extrangero, sabes lo que quiero decir? Me gustaria mucho poder pasar ese conocimiento a mis hijos. Bueno, igual da si yo ni siquiera espero tener hijos. jaja. =)
Qué idea tan buena! Ahora que lo dices, eso también se me ha ocurrido alguna que otra vez–los franceses tienen un colegio aquí en Chicago, y tiene que haber alguna opción española, no? Eso sería ideal–enviarles a aprender el español en manos de los “profesionales,” jejeje. A mi también me encantaría que mis hijos supiesen el español.
Love the black & whites!!
I am soooooooo enjoying your pictures of James and his wonderful ….dare I say, Grandma? Okay, Mama Twink, that is so like her!! I knew she would be won over by this little guy. Who wouldn’t be? Grandmahood is the best!!!
Just beautiful (baby James AND Mama Twink)! What a fitting name.