A cousin brought her baby by the house yesterday. The baby is about five months old, two months younger than Hanix. This baby was dressed like a little man: shirt tucked in, jeans, shiny black belt, boots. Hanix, on the other hand, sports robots on his cotton onesies, stripes on his pants, and it's a rare moment you'll find him shod. For this, naturally, everyone think I'm nuts. Totally insane. Child Endangerer. Total strangers regularly remark on his poor, shoeless feet. "How will he ever learn to walk!?" This is sheer nuttery to me, but I let it go. I'm over trying to explain that he'll learn to walk with or without shoes, and I know I seem equally ridiculous to them. I commented to Hernan that I thought a belt on a baby looked pretty silly, and he explained, "Yeah, well, Hanix doesn't wear belts because he's a hippie."
I'm surprised that so many people down here openly prefer light skin to dark. They call their kids prieto and negro feo. They are also pleased that Hanix was born rather fair. They call him güero, rubio, and gringito. Their favorite nickname, though, is Gerber. They swear he looks JUST like the Gerber baby, being fat and white and sort of baldish. I know a heap of fat, white, bald people. Not all of them look like the Gerber baby. Apparently Hanix is the spittin image.
So now you know how the San Juanecos refer to my baby. Hippie Gerber.
We live with my fiance's cousin and he always is saying something about his shoes being on. My baby is 13 months and he will not walk yet! He just started standing up on his own about 2 weeks ago. He has kind of been late on things, he sat up late and he crawled late so I already suspected that he was going to be a late walker. I don't know why he is late because he is healthy as can be. Anyway, his cousin sometimes says he is never going to walk if he does not have shoes on. So you can imagine how good I felt the 1st time he stood up on his own without help from us or support of anything he was completely bare foot!!! hee hee hee My friends dress their little boys up with belts and boots and long sleeved button up plaid shirts. I think they look cute. Wonder what his grandmother is going to think we she sees her 1st grandson in his blue striped polo shirt (untucked of course) his khaki pants and his blue hat. Maybe with some shades. Cute huh?
ReplyDeleteThat's funny. In the states, you see a lot of little Mexican baby girls with their ears pierced! Seems like total craziness to me.
ReplyDeleteMy mom recently scanned all the family photo albums and gave them out on DVDs. Looking at pictures of me as a kid, I realized something: I was naked A LOT. Just all the time. Or wearing only a diaper. Talk about a hippie.
Yes - ear piercing seems to be a must for girls. Before Hanix was born (and we didn't find out his sex ahead of time) I mentioned I didn't think I'd be piercing my newborn's ears. He or she could very well wait until he or she was old enough to go get it done at the mall. Everyone argued with me, "but if you get it done when she's a newborn she won't FEEL it!" I don't so much believe the 'infants feel no pain' thing - and anyway, that's still not really a REASON to get it done. I said, "well, in that case maybe I'll pierce her nipples, you know, in case she wants nipple rings later on in life. That way we'll have had it taken care of before she could FEEL it." They didn't think this was nearly as funny as I did. I'm not against earrings, but I don't get the urgent need for all baby girls to have them. One person explained it to me thus, "How else will they know she's a girl?" ... um, maybe because everyone down here dresses baby girls in ALL PINK ALWAYS. Or maybe by asking. Or, and this is where I go all whacko, maybe it doesn't really matter.
ReplyDeleteAs for naked babies - as soon as it warms up, off go the clothes. I'm pretty sure his birthday suit will be Hanix's favorite outfit. And less laundry for mama, too. :) Damn hippies.
I have two girls and the oldest is now 3. people find it so strange that her ears are not pierced and the baby is now 10mo and has no man made holes in her ears. Mind you I love earnings and at one point I had 7 in one ear but I was old enough to choose the pain and the fact that I had to take care of them. I explained to my daughter that when shes ready we will get it done until then she can dress up in sticker earnings. I also explained that it will hurt just a little bit and for only a little while. She understands and doeskin want them yet. I try to explain this to family and friends here and they just shrug and make the, "Ill never understand Americans" face. Oh well. lol
ReplyDeleteKeep doing things your own way I like the idea of a hippy gerber baby, thats so cute.