Journal of Suzie (M13)

Journal of Suzie - after marriage (thirteen months later)
My goodness, I can't believe all the incredible things that have happened in my life in the past year. I got married to the strongest man of the land and from our union came a baby boy, the cutest in the universe.
The kid resembles his father so much. They have the same little dark brown lips, similar big eyes, and identical small ears.
Hmmm, Brida is what I have the dearest now. He possesses my body and my soul. He is my strength and my weakness. He is the reason why I'm still breathing now. He is the essence of my fights.
The kid is currently with Mama Oma in the parlor downstairs. She has been such a great support since my husband Babida and I came into this imperial residence.
Before she was just our good neighbor who from time to time paid a visit to the villa when I was pregnant with Brida. She often brought me and my husband Babida lots of Okunde's delicacies.
I especially liked the plums that the old lady toasted on a charcoal fire. As for my spouse Babida, he savored the spicy cake that the elderly had made from ground beans.
Mama Oma usually came in the morning after my husband had gone to work and she spent the time with me till almost sunset.
She taught me vital medical ways to cope with painful contractions. She for instance initiated me into Yoga and massage and they helped me release the stress and pressure related to pregnancy.
Mama Oma's teachings worked very well. I had a smooth baby delivery and my son Brida was safe and healthy.
Ultimately my husband Babida proposed that Mama Oma live with us in the mansion and take the main guest room. I was very fine with the idea because to be in the villa alone with the kid was going to be extremely difficult.
My husband and I had also discussed hiring a maid to assist me in case Mama Oma rejected our proposal but she didn't.
We were thrilled by her unhesitant acceptance and organized a 'welcome to the villa' party.
Now that Mama Oma is here, I would like to travel to my hometown Ekule with her and the baby so I could lay wreaths of flowers on big Momma and uncle Bibi's graves to pay tribute to their memories one year after their death.
I don't know if my spouse Babida would allow me to make such a long journey with his adored son but I will first talk with him and together we will decide what to do.
Brida is growing fast. He is three months old now and looks like a baby-giant. He is the mini-version of his father Babida.
Oh oh! I can hear him crying downstairs. Maybe he's hungry? In this case, I have to go and breastfeed him.
Oh, wait for a second! He's been hushed by Mama Oma. Great! The cries have stopped. It was a false alert. I think that he's sleepy and just needs a nap.
I wonder what type of baby I was. Maybe I was also the cry-cry kind because even now that I'm an adult, I am sometimes very capricious.
Yes indeed, I can be moody when I don't get what I want. Surely when I was a baby, I wept all the time to be heard. Maybe not really?
I wished uncle Bibi was here to tell me the answer.
But maybe Brida is like his father. It's hard to imagine my massive husband Babida as a crybaby in his childhood, however why not? All babies are the same, aren't they?
As they grow, they take different paths and embrace different destinies. I profess for my son the brightest of futures.
To end up as a Governor like his father would be just an excellent fate, though the position comes often with challenges and tribulations, which I have no doubt that Brida will heroically overcome.
Will he also face a terrible Monster like the giant bird of the forbidden mountain or will he survive the sharp fangs of evil mammals such as the wicked bats? Or finally, will he dominate supernatural calamities like the walking tornado?
Well, I have my answer. His father did, so he will. That's my dearest wish.
Last time, my husband and I discussed giving Brida a little brother or sister whom he can play with and grow up with.
I haven't fully recovered from the sequels of my first pregnancy but I'm tempted to make another baby now and fill this big house a bit more.
Mama Oma is here, she will assist me with the upbringing of the children. And if the task is too difficult, we will have no choice but to take imperial maids for the house chores and the babysitting.
May the ancestors place a favorable hand upon our home!
Oops! I almost forgot…I finally spoke with my husband Babida about joining the imperial army as a medic.
He was very supportive and encouraging. He welcomed the idea of becoming the first woman to serve officially in the imperial army and pave the way for young girls in the empire.
I'm really lucky to have wed a man who is a progressivist. Now that I have gotten to know him better, I'm quite sure that if we had had a daughter as our first child, he wouldn't have made it a big deal.
My husband is a big superstitious person but he is also a very rational individual. His outer physique is as hard as a stone, however inside is as soft as cotton.
We had a tremendous first year of marriage and I'm looking forward to experiencing moments even more terrific in the second year like our son's first birthday.
I'm shuddering as I'm thinking of it. Hopefully, Brida will be able to walk before then and maybe speak. I will train him so he will be able to articulate his first word and that is "mommy".
I know that it will make his dad jealous. I want to be the best parent. After all, I'm the one to stay with him at home all day while his father is out at work. So there is no chance that my husband Babida can compete with me.
Brida will love me more, won't he? Oh, the kid is crying again. This time, it's a sure thing. The baby is hungry. I must stop writing for now and go downstairs to breastfeed him.
Okunde, October 11, 503.