We welcomed our son, George Romeo Alaniz, to the world and our family on October 6, 2017. He was born at 10:45 pm after almost 24 hours of labor as Bob Dylan’s voice signing, “How does it feel? To be on your own” echoed through the operating room. He weighed 8 lbs. 3 oz. and measured 21″ long.
There was never a moment’s question that he was ours. His brown hair and tiny mohawk looked just his dad’s baby pictures, and his turned-up nose mirrored mine.
George is named for two great men we loved very much — my grandfather, George Mussie (aka Papou), and Cesar’s grandfather, Romeo Alaniz. In some ways, they couldn’t be more different, but in all the most important ways, they were very similar.
They both valued family, community, and education. They both served valiantly during World War II. My grandfather in the Pacific before being selected for officer’s training, and Cesar’s grandfather on the beaches of Normandy. They both contributed and were well respected in their communities of Gary, Indiana and San Isidro, Texas. They were dearly loved and are missed.
From Left to Right: George and Angeline Mussie, my maternal grandparents. Maria Isabel and Romeo Alaniz, my husband’s paternal grandparents.
Those early days, spent healing, getting to know each other, and learning how to care for George were utterly encompassing and precious. Everything was new, including figuring out how to navigate the world with a car seat, diaper bag, and stroller, especially the grocery store and the stairs up to our front door. Things that used to be easy were hard, at first, but we figured it out and found our groove.
George was a very mellow newborn. Except when he wasn’t, which was usually when I tried to do too much or didn’t realize it was time to eat again. Already. Three months of maternity leave passed in a flash. We put a lot of miles on the stroller walking the streets the Mission. I read, wrote, napped, and washed tiny clothes whenever George slept. Then it was Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and time for me to go back to work. Somehow we even fit in a long weekend in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico with George before maternity leave was all said and done.
It’s been a dream come true, not without real change for me and Cesar, but better than I expected or even imagined.
As of this writing, George is almost 6 months old and so much fun. He’s toppling over while learning to sit up and recently discovered his tongue. We’ve mastered the grocery store and public transit too. He’s learning to travel with 16 flights already under his belt. And, our wonderful nanny sends me pictures during the day while I get to focus on work I enjoy.
What more could a new mom possibly hope for?
