Medical Alert

Hooray for modern medicine!  Fiorella is astounded to realize that it hasn't been a year since her hip replacement, but she's totally recovered and dashes around without even a limp--or the pain she had grown so accustomed to that she didn't realize how bad it was till it was gone.  And she's still happy about the facelift too.  In fact, she's thrilled to get up every morning and look in the mirror. And she's pleased with the results of all the other surgeries she's had through the years--carpal tunnel, gall bladder, two back surgeries, the eye stuff, the aortic valve replacement, the pacemaker, the partial thyroidectomy.

But she had the best results from the C-sections.   

Mother's Day Gifts

Fiorella adores children, especially babies.  She loves their bright, searching eyes, smushy noses, and Cupid's-bow mouths.  She loves to cuddle their soft, warm bodies, to count their tiny fingers and toes, to kiss their fat bellies, to hold them, sing to them, to rock them to sleep.  She always wanted to be a mother--could not imagine herself otherwise--but her path to maternity was hard, beginning with a horrific miscarriage.

But then there were three, the best three in the world, and today Fiorella thanks them for being her children, for making her their mother.

Baby Fever

The Chinese Year of the Dragon is also supposed to be a time of fertility, and Fio's hoping for a couple of babies in the family sooner rather than later. Fiorella adores babies, their pink cheeks and soft skins, the way their eyes follow your every movement, their warmth and cuddliness, their sweet smell--well, except when the smell isn't so sweet.

Come on, Dragon, ROAR!

Maternal Eternal

As Fiorella was putting away groceries, she picked up a ten pound bag of birdseed and automatically cradled it in her arms to distribute the weight. Immediately a pang of longing raced through her.

The birdseed felt exactly like a baby in her arms. It's a wonder she didn't start lactating.

Now you know her secret. Fiorella adores babies. She always has, which is a little odd because her mother didn't. "I prefer children when they're older and you can teach them things," Mater explained.

Now Fio likes older children too and thinks teaching them things is nice, but she likes cuddling best. She loves the feel, the warmth, the smell of children in her arms or on her lap or by her side. Physical closeness is just her thing. And what can one do with babies but hold them close?

Fio's children are grown now, but not reproducing; thus Fio is bablyless. So please don't raise your eyebrows if, the next time you're in HEB, you see her pick up a ten-pound bag of birdseed, lift it lovingly to her bosom, and maybe give it a little kiss.