I spent Valentine’s Day with the object of my affection. We went out for Italian food, and I presented a small gift which seemed to be well-received. My husband Ted looked on adoringly.
Arriving at her door in New York City earlier that day, I had fallen in love with Dahlia Elizabeth the moment I set eyes upon her. Our 4–week-old niece is perfect! Well, she does look kind of like E.T. when she cranes her neck, but even that is charming at her age.
And we further bonded when I accompanied her on her first shopping trip. The sales at Lord & Taylor were fantastic and Dahlia was pleased as punch when I bought her Mary Jane patent leathers and a velveteen top. She cooed her approval as I zeroed in on two blouses and a pair of jeans.
But mostly we hung out. Watching my baby sister and brother-in-law with Dahlia was a delight. I never doubted that they would be good parents but I wondered how easily they would adapt to the big change in their lives. Now in their late thirties, they have spent the last 15 years in demanding jobs, spending weeks at a time out of the country. I would lose track of which of them was on which continent. When they were in town, they were often out and about, attending dance performances and the theater, dining with friends in Chelsea or Soho.
Jodee and Gaspard were both off work the first three weeks of Dahlia’s life and they seem content with their narrow routine, which revolves around Dahlia’s intake and output. They have fashioned a darling nursery in their small, fourth-floor walk-up in Greenwich Village. They exiled furniture to storage to make room for a glider rocker where Jodee nurses her daughter.
No family members live close enough to help out on a regular basis. And, speaking on behalf of Jodee’s family, the distance between Colorado and New York seems many times farther than it did a month ago. But Jodee and Gaspard lucked out; they have an easygoing daughter. She eats well, she sleeps well, and she is regular — no Metamucil® needed for her!
This ebony Haitian man and his pale Danish-Irish, redheaded wife have produced a most amazing creation. Maybe she will play the piano with those long fingers she inherited from her father. Perhaps she will have her mother’s sense of humor. Will she love to dance as both her parents do?
That is the wonder of a new life, isn’t it? There are so many magnificent possibilities.
This was a wonderful Valentine’s Day. One can never have too many valentines.