Guest Blog: The three week old kitty tells it like it is

Hola gente!  Que paso?  It’s me, your new friend Elena, reporting live from my crib!  I let the cats have Imma and Abba’s bed for the night so I could give you a report on what’s been going on. First, I want to give a big shout out to all my well-wishers!  I’ve enjoyed staying up late at night and reading all the comments about me and my hair.  And isn’t my tongue rad!? 

Next, I need to comment on the food they serve around here.  Okay, so there is cafeteria “A” and cafeteria “B” - my Imma acts like they serve different things, but it all tastes the same to me. I also enjoy that I get my meals on tap six or seven times a day! 

The past few weeks have been very exciting.  I met my grandparents, Saba and Savta, and they’re pretty nice folks.  Saba took great care of me for a week! My sister Caldecott and I listened to Saba read us books in English, Spanish, Hebrew, and Somali. My Somali isn’t so good yet, but Caldecott helped me out on some of the tough words. My Saba is muy inteligente, but I can’t wait to beat the pants off of him in Scrabble in 2-3 years.

My Savta likes to dance with me like my Abba does, which is always a trip.  Savta sings some nice opera tunes, but I am really into Hebrew kids songs right now (check out my current fav here: www.dodamollie.com).  Savta also changes a mean diaper.  My Saba and Savta are definitely both keepers! I also got to meet my Big Mom and Big Saba (Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Schmidt) this week. They are super sweet, despite the funny Texas accent. What a lucky chiquita I am!

Over the past two weeks, I have convinced my Imma and Abba to take me out on the town.  Here are some of the highlights: 1) I got to hear my Tita Borba’s dissertation defense and helped her become a PhD.  2) I went out for Mediterranean, Italian, and Mexican food. (My Saba tried to take me for barbeque, but my Imma said no.  Maybe next time!) 3) I hung out at the Rollins School of Public Health and got passed around to all my favorite aunties. Some crazy Portuguese lady (Mama Borba) tried to steal me, but my mom got me back real quick when it was time for dinner.

This past weekend I hosted my first big Jewish fiesta.  My Imma and Abba were a bit surprised when all my pals started showing up, but they learned how to roll with it! It was supercool to get my Hebrew name and watch everyone cry. Grownups are so weird. Another highlight was getting to meet my godmother, Kathy. I can definitely tell why my parents like her so much.  She even got me my own kiddish cup!  That will be a real improvement over drinking wine off someone’s finger.

Well, gotta go before the cats try to negotiate on my cafeteria plan. Peace yo! 

Your little friend,

Elena