my sweet little...

Rosie... with these words i say hello...

...it's funny how for nine months i have waited to write down your name, to hear the sound of it, and now here you are and your name sounds just perfect to me.
throughout these months i made your mommy so much apple crumble to get her to spit out your name that i thought you'd be born hating this sweet desert, of course you should know that this desert has become part of our lives and we cannot live without it... so if you have developed some sort of allergy of even a hate for it, sorry Rosie, but we'll discuss it when you're 18.

anyway, i'm not writing this to give you the recipe, but to actually introduce myself.
i am Miss Portugal, yes i know, it's funny, charming maybe, but i'm stuck with it, and if you're anything like your mother, you'll be very proud to have a friend with this name... or at least you can show off at nursery to your baby friends. but you can call bicuka...
i'm very happy to meet you. you finally arrived, and i have very few words to describe how happy i am for you, for your mommy and daddy.

the truth is you won't probably know me very well, i won't live here for much longer now, and that already makes me sad, i simply adore your parents, they to me have been so amazing that no amount of apple crumble will ever repay them.
of course i see much more of your mother, we have little rituals of our own. she has always had a smile for me whenever i'm a bit sad and it's always been fun being with her, of course she has killer coffee at her place, and i make sure that whenever i go there i haven't had any coffee that day so that it will taste even better.

i wanted to welcome you to this world, to your life really, it may seem a bit scary sometimes and believe me it is still, but i guess no matter how scared it makes you feel, or how upsetting and nonunderstanding it is, you have to really be able to get through it. i have learned that whatever the world gives me, good or bad, sweet or mean, it is my choice to grab it with both hands and try, at least try to not fall apart... eveything you chose to do will always be good for you.
you're maybe very tiny to understand, but like i said i won't be here probably when you will, and even when you're older it may take some time. we all make mistakes and we all make great choices, but each one will develop into something so much greater, and those mistakes become memorable challenges, and those good become, well, probably wonderful...
someone said to me once and i pass it on to you "bicuka, you made a big mistake, but you made it because you tried."

this is basically it, first you will be challenged by your first sounds, your first colors, your first words... first steps, and as life goes on challenges become bigger, but you'll also be growing and challenges grow with you. and so will we.
those who will, no matter what, want be part of your life, (even far away): ME, 'd like you to know that they'll always be here, for you... just like for your mommy and just like she has been here for me.

lots of love and best wishes for your first adventure... give a big cuddle to you mommy and daddy for me... they deserve so much more... they deserve you.

you friend and "auntie"
a.k.a.bicuka