Baby Leire

Hola Bloggers,

This is my spanish niece - the daughter of Jose's brother Xabi and his wife Jessi. She is called Leire. She weighed 3 kilos 600 grams (which at my calculations puts her at about 7 pounds 9). Thats quite an average, if not small weight for UK standards, I think, but the child is enormous! She looks about one month old. Don't you think?

I have had quite an education this weekend and I now have more fear of the whole commotion surrounding the birth of my child than I do of the birth! The spaniards really do have a different way of doing things than my family do, and I think my family is quite an average english family. I am of the opinion, as taught by my mum, that new borns should be given a little respect and left in peace as much as possible. They have just been through the trauma of birth and need lots of rest and quiet. Well, no chance of that over here!

Everyone, and I mean everyone comes to the hospital. And they don't come in twos - they come in crowds and all expect to hold the baby. It gets passed round like a toy admidst lots of noise and comotion and general fuss. There's no let up - or so it seems. You have to stay in the hospital for two nights but you don't really get any help you just get gatecrashed wile you are laying there in one small room and can't get away! I'm dreading it and I'm thinking of not letting on that the baby has actually been born for at least 24 hours -to buy time before they can all arrive from Catalunya. They'll think thats awful though. So, the other option is tell them straight that I don't want all that going on and that I'd rather they come in twos and if possible once we are at home.

The other thing is the earrings! have you noticed on the second photo that leire has got earrings already? They pierce all girl's ears just before they leave the hospital. I brought this up at lunch once with my spanish family and they thought I was cruel for leaving it to be done once the child will know about it. This is twisted logic to me! I have spet months watching babies go past in the street and every damn one has earrings. There is no getting round it here it seems. Its a cultural standard. I came round to the ide for a month or two (I must have been spanishises, or whatever the verb is) but I have come to my senses once again after seeing Leire with hers in. Its just plain wrong! I have spent a few hours today on the internet finding articles by spanish doctors advising against it (to back me up). The only advise putting it off till they are 3 or 6 months though! But anyway, my mother in law is just going to have to accept it, medical reasons or not, its not happening because its just awful (in my culture). I mean, how could I bring the poor child to England with earrings in? Its one thing no one thinking anything about here in spain but this child is half english and has to be able to travel to the UK with some dignity!

Don't get me started on the outfit that my mother in law bought for Leire. Talk about trying to look like Franco's daughter. I can't even bring myself to put a picture on the blog of it because poor Leire has no choice in the matter and shouldn't be papped in a Heat magazine "what were you thinking?!" type reportage at such a young age.

As my friend Maren said (who is german and married ot a New Yorker), " bringing the 2 cultures together for the wedding was nothing compared to what awaits with birth of a child".

So, you have been warned, if you see anything untoward on or near my child then please give me some slack because certain things I may be forced to concede.

S xx