I'm listening to "Once in Love with Amy" in honor of our newest family member, Amy Belle Mason Reidling. She was born yesterday (August 10, 2011) at 10:38 p. m. to Michael and Nicole Reidling of Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Michael is my nephew, son of my late sister, Amy.The great-grandmother is Joanne Belle Cartledge of Middle Bass Island and Seville, Ohio. Mother giggled when I told her the baby's name, and she giggled again when I told her that the first time Michael saw Amy, he thought she looked just like Grandma. His grandma. My mom. Amy Belle's great-grandmother.
Her first-cousin-once-removed Jennifer wants to call her Maybelle. (She was surprised when I told her I didn't want Amy Belle to spend her life explaining that she was not named after Mother Maybelle Carter, the mother of June Carter Cash, the widow of Johnny Cash). Jennifer replied, (I'm paraphrasing) that only old people have heard of Mother Maybelle Carter and, besides, she doesn't care.
I myself shall call the dear girl Amy Belle because saying the name gives me enormous pleasure; as does seeing the name in print. Here it is in another font and color:
Amy Belle Mason Reidling
And I have just thought about my father, Douglas Cartledge, who died last year,and his response if he'd lived to hear the baby's name. First, I'd have bellowed the name repeatedly over the phone, because he had the hearing loss all World War II pilots suffered from flying without ear protection as a Navy pilot.
Finally, Daddy would have said, "Belle? Belle? What's Mary Jo saying?" and handed the phone to her.
Once he heard it, though, -- once he read Mother's lips as she repeated the name -- he'd have offered a slow, lasting smile; and an aura of contentment would have hovered
around him for weeks.
6 comments:
I'm pretty sure that Elizabeth Grace is Joanna Belle Cartledge's first Great Grandaughter.....So now she has two great grandaughters and six great grand sons.
Oh,how funny. Drunk on baby joy, I was. I do actually know that Lizzie is Mom's great-grandma and even when I said it was thinking Lizzie must be happy. Remember when she said,at age four-ish, "Grandma, we have too many boys in this family, don't we?"
Let me rephrase. I have known since before she was born that Elizabeth is the great-granddaughter of my mother. And now Liz has a girl related to her to hang around with; and both of them are my mother's great-granddaughters as well being second cousins to each other. You and Amy are, of course, first cousins once removed.
Yes :) and hopefully Jon, Jeff, and Lindsay will add to her great grand girls one day.
Yes :) and hopefully Jon, Jeff, and Lindsay will add to the great grand girls one day. She always has liked the girls best. Lol
yes :) and hopefully Jon, Jeff, and Lindsay will add more great grand girls one day. She always has liked girls best! lol
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