Happy Birthday, Bess!
Bess! You are one! That makes me feel a little old, but I am the youngest of all your aunts and uncles, so I hope I'll always seem like "the young one" to you. I wish I got to see more of you, but I do have some great memories from your first year. Actually, going back a little farther than that, I remember when I first found out you were coming. Your dad left a message on my phone that said, "Hey Meg, call me back. Rachel and I have some news." And I knew he was going to tell me that another baby was on the way! I was on a work trip in San Diego with a guy named Ben. We were both temping for this government contractor and we'd had a long day and were having margaritas at a Mexican restaurant when I heard the message and called William back. I barely knew Ben, but it was definitely a bonding experience of sorts for him to be there when I got the news about you. I was so happy that I cried, right there in that Mexican restaurant. I love being an aunt SO MUCH, and getting another niece was fantastic news.
I was like a little kid waiting for Christmas when it was time for you to come. You were due in mid- to late- February, and as soon as the calendar turned over to February 2012, I could barely contain my excitement. Is she here yet? Is she here yet? I was playing bridge when the news came, and I was so excited. I ran to find McKenzie and screeched that our new niece was here!! I'm not gonna lie, I was hoping you'd be named Margaret, after our grandmother (and me!), but your parents decided to go with a "B" name to honor your grandmother Barbara, and Bess is certainly very lovely. It's okay that you're not Margaret -- I got over it :) Your middle name means a lot to me, too. Virginia is after our grandmother Elder, our home state, and our beloved family friend, Virginia Page. You and your sisters are all city girls, but I hope Virginia will still be a big part of you all. It's kind of a big deal to our family. I wonder how that will play out in your life.
I got to New York as soon as I could, and I spent the first week of March in the newly acquired 7F apartment. You were such a good baby. With two older sisters, a dog, and the noises of New York, there was always chaos around you, but you were very calm. You were content to be held by just about anyone, or left on the changing table in the living room to nap. You almost never cried. The loudest thing about you was your poops. They were so loud! You acted like you didn't even notice, but I laughed every time. This is a Massie trait. Some people think it's immature, but I think if something makes you laugh, that's a good thing. Who doesn't love to laugh? So I laughed at your poop noises, and I hope that doesn't embarass you now. Massies are gassy people. You're going to have to learn to laugh it off, or you'll spend way too much of your time being mortified. Farts are funny. Embrace it :)
Everyone was so crazy about you right from the start. Frankie corrected me when I called you her "sister." She said "No, Lucy is my sister. Bess is my BABY sister." She adored you, and was very patient and gentle. She was sick, so she wasn't allowed to touch you very much the week that I was there, but she doted on you from a distance. Lucy, too. She just stared at you while you slept. Your sisters were so excited to have you. We all were! And you were so good!
I got to spend a little more time with you over the summer, when you were about 5.5 months old. You had developed more of a personality by then, but you were still just as happy as could be. I put my favorite picture of us here in this post. Look how happy you are! And of course I'm so happy to be squeezing on you. I'm really glad that you were happy to let me hold you and play with you when you were so young. A lot of babies only want their parents, and that can be so hard for an aunt who just wants to love you and hug you.
You were very ahead of the curve for babies. First of all you were kind of a giant. You were also teething early, and you were very strong, rolling over already and doing things that other babies take much longer to do. Don't grow up too fast now! It's fine to take your time :) You were still a totally chill, happy baby at this point, but you did have a minor meltdown when we all went to Busch Gardens for the fireworks one night. You were not a fan of the loud booms, but your Uncle A and Granddaddy held you tight and got you through it while the rest of us rode on the swings. I am also the youngest, so I know sometimes it sucks to be left behind because you're too little to participate in something, but there are a lot more perks to being the baby of the family than there are downsides. You'll see.
I visited you in Brooklyn again in December, when you were getting close to 10 months old. By this point, you had developed a little more specific attachment to your parents, and you would cry or fuss more when I tried to hold you. But that didn't stop me! Usually you'd settle down and be cool with me after a minute or two. I carried you in your ergo every morning on the walk to preschool with Frankie and then to Elie's for your daycare, and I'd pick you up with your mom in the afternoons and carry you home in the sling again. I loved doing that. It was like a cuddle session. You would do this really hilarious thing where you'd throw your head back and make a kind of maniacal laugh/roar noise. You're so funny! Apparently you didn't do that for your mom and dad, so that was our thing. Thanks for letting me carry you like that. It really was so special for me to do that.
I haven't seen you since that visit back in December, but we've done some Skyping and I look at pictures of you every chance I get. I guess I still don't know you that well yet, but I sure do love the crap out of you. I can't wait to spend more time with you. Happy birthday, darlin'.
I was like a little kid waiting for Christmas when it was time for you to come. You were due in mid- to late- February, and as soon as the calendar turned over to February 2012, I could barely contain my excitement. Is she here yet? Is she here yet? I was playing bridge when the news came, and I was so excited. I ran to find McKenzie and screeched that our new niece was here!! I'm not gonna lie, I was hoping you'd be named Margaret, after our grandmother (and me!), but your parents decided to go with a "B" name to honor your grandmother Barbara, and Bess is certainly very lovely. It's okay that you're not Margaret -- I got over it :) Your middle name means a lot to me, too. Virginia is after our grandmother Elder, our home state, and our beloved family friend, Virginia Page. You and your sisters are all city girls, but I hope Virginia will still be a big part of you all. It's kind of a big deal to our family. I wonder how that will play out in your life.
I got to New York as soon as I could, and I spent the first week of March in the newly acquired 7F apartment. You were such a good baby. With two older sisters, a dog, and the noises of New York, there was always chaos around you, but you were very calm. You were content to be held by just about anyone, or left on the changing table in the living room to nap. You almost never cried. The loudest thing about you was your poops. They were so loud! You acted like you didn't even notice, but I laughed every time. This is a Massie trait. Some people think it's immature, but I think if something makes you laugh, that's a good thing. Who doesn't love to laugh? So I laughed at your poop noises, and I hope that doesn't embarass you now. Massies are gassy people. You're going to have to learn to laugh it off, or you'll spend way too much of your time being mortified. Farts are funny. Embrace it :)
Everyone was so crazy about you right from the start. Frankie corrected me when I called you her "sister." She said "No, Lucy is my sister. Bess is my BABY sister." She adored you, and was very patient and gentle. She was sick, so she wasn't allowed to touch you very much the week that I was there, but she doted on you from a distance. Lucy, too. She just stared at you while you slept. Your sisters were so excited to have you. We all were! And you were so good!
I got to spend a little more time with you over the summer, when you were about 5.5 months old. You had developed more of a personality by then, but you were still just as happy as could be. I put my favorite picture of us here in this post. Look how happy you are! And of course I'm so happy to be squeezing on you. I'm really glad that you were happy to let me hold you and play with you when you were so young. A lot of babies only want their parents, and that can be so hard for an aunt who just wants to love you and hug you.
You were very ahead of the curve for babies. First of all you were kind of a giant. You were also teething early, and you were very strong, rolling over already and doing things that other babies take much longer to do. Don't grow up too fast now! It's fine to take your time :) You were still a totally chill, happy baby at this point, but you did have a minor meltdown when we all went to Busch Gardens for the fireworks one night. You were not a fan of the loud booms, but your Uncle A and Granddaddy held you tight and got you through it while the rest of us rode on the swings. I am also the youngest, so I know sometimes it sucks to be left behind because you're too little to participate in something, but there are a lot more perks to being the baby of the family than there are downsides. You'll see.
I visited you in Brooklyn again in December, when you were getting close to 10 months old. By this point, you had developed a little more specific attachment to your parents, and you would cry or fuss more when I tried to hold you. But that didn't stop me! Usually you'd settle down and be cool with me after a minute or two. I carried you in your ergo every morning on the walk to preschool with Frankie and then to Elie's for your daycare, and I'd pick you up with your mom in the afternoons and carry you home in the sling again. I loved doing that. It was like a cuddle session. You would do this really hilarious thing where you'd throw your head back and make a kind of maniacal laugh/roar noise. You're so funny! Apparently you didn't do that for your mom and dad, so that was our thing. Thanks for letting me carry you like that. It really was so special for me to do that.
I haven't seen you since that visit back in December, but we've done some Skyping and I look at pictures of you every chance I get. I guess I still don't know you that well yet, but I sure do love the crap out of you. I can't wait to spend more time with you. Happy birthday, darlin'.