2011 was truly a year of homecomings for our family, to begin with that wonderful (but also a little bit scary!) day in May when Perrine and I brought Milo David back home from the hospital to our little Paris apartment. Only a few months later, we had another magical homecoming, when in August we brought Miloïg to his mother’s native Brittany for the first time, where he finally met his grandma and grandpa Iverson, and his great grandparents Maïé and Robert.
What wonderful ways a baby changes a person, and changes a family. With summer’s end, it was time for Milo to take a big step and join other neighborhood children at daycare, while mom and dad returned to working life. Perrine found herself more eager than ever to return to l’Institut Curie and resume her work caring for cancer patients, as well as her weekday evenings practicing yoga and singing in a choir. Jeffrey returned to journalism with a new determination to take a step back from the news grind and focus on subjects he’s passionate about, such as those covered in his recent articles on wine, gastronomy and the arts. He also had his first adventure in publishing, writing a chapter in a book about a pioneer of street art in France, entitled Blek le Rat: 30 Year Anniversary Retrospective. It was published in the United States in December.
Come the holiday season, Perrine and I decided we wouldn't be offering any presents to each other this year. We'd already given one another the dearest gift ever – Milo! He was certainly our reason for celebrating, which we did in many of the same old ways we always have, but also in some new and meaningful ways. The old holiday traditions we have sometimes taken for granted seem to resonate more deeply for us now, and our appetites for family lore have grown, as well as our desire to reinforce bonds of blood and friendship. We do hope that Miloïg David (named after Jeffrey’s maternal great grandfather David Gingold and his paternal grandfather Milo Iverson, with ïg being a Breton suffix meaning ‘little’) will grow into an individual with a strong sense of self, and of the many cultures he carries within him, and that he will sow deep roots in both his ancestral homes, Brittany and Minnesota. So we were especially happy and fortunate to be able to have Christmas celebrations in both France and in Minnesota this year.
 |
| An old handkerchief showing the French and American flags that our great aunt Lynny found in an antique shop – a Christmas souvenir sewn for a pair of Franco-American lovers who met in wartime France perhaps? |
Thus just over a week before Christmas, we hopped on the train and headed west to Brittany. Milo is a seasoned (and generally quite pleasant!) traveler now, with the train being the form of transport he certainly knows best.
Upon arrival, Maminou (grandma) Françoise had new equipment ready for Milo, who had grown quite a bit since his last visit in August and was ready for highchairs and big boy strollers.
And then just as we were getting Milo ready for bed on his first night back, someone snuck in the front door – it was Tata (auntie) Lulu, come by surprise all the way from her home down south in Toulouse!
Lucie had braved several hours of car sharing and a bit of hitchhiking to be able to get to Brest and share the pre-Christmas weekend with us -she couldn't have given us a better Christmas present!
The next day, we hopped in the car and headed over to great-grandparents Maïé and grandpère Robert's home in an apartment on the bridge in the city of Landernau.
The Christmas decorations were all up, including the creche / manger scene, which Milo liked very much.
Milo took a nap during lunch, and woke up in great grandma Maïé's bedroom.
We all stayed there for an impromptu gift-opening session.
Maïé and grandpère Robert gave Milo a fancy set of Jacquard mittens, hat and scarf.
Great great aunt Marie approved.
They brought Milo a cute beret-like winter hat.
Milo liked his hat, but would have liked to keep the tea pot too.
Our last day, great aunt Colette, Maminou Françoise's twin sister, came for lunch and Maminou spoiled Milo with presents too – books and a hooded sweater.
Milo was very content in his sister sandwich.
----------------
Upon returning to Paris, Papitou (grandpa) Jean-Guy treated us to a lovely pre-Christmas dinner too.
Milo was in a giggly and playful mood, and we enjoyed traditional French holiday treats that Jean-Guy lavished us with: oysters, smoked salmon and Pouilly Fumé wine.
----------------
Even before leaving for Minnesota we'd already begun participating in the Christmas preparations across the Atlantic. Skype has become an integral part of our daily life, and it is hard to imagine raising a child now without frequent video conferences with far away grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. So it seemed normal somehow that the week before Christmas Milo's first lesson in Norwegian lefse rolling would take place online with his big cousin Will.
 |
| Milo getting lefse lessons from cousin Will |
 |
| Will showing the proper lefse flipping technique. |
 |
| The lefse rolling crew, Milo's great aunts Lora and Lynny and aunt Krissy |
So we were certainly in mood for a Minnesota Christmas when Milo got on an airplane for the first time a few days before Christmas Eve. And after a long nap in a (very) snug bassinette, an inaugural stamp in Milo's brand new U.S. Passport, we were home at last.
Milo found out pretty quick that he had been expected. Auntie Krissy jumped in the car to meet her nephew in person for the first time.
And we even got a proper Minnesota winter welcome of some lightly falling snow, the first Milo had ever seen (and the only snow any of us would see for Christmas 2011 - boohoo).
We were finally home in Minnesota, with hugs and kisses from aunties Krissy and Becca, Uncle Matt, grandma and grandpa, and cousins Rachel and Will. It sure beats Skype!
Being in Minnesota, the faces of course were familiar, and other things were too, like sweet potatoes -
pianos -
and manger scenes.
But other things were SO different in Minnesota!
Going for a walk involved a LOT more dressing up than we were used to in Paris.
It was so cold that we'd have to make stops in different places to warm up, which wasn't so bad when that was a candy store!
And sometimes the songs we sang weren't in English or French, but in Swedish!
And the bathtubs were like swimming pools!
And the toys were big too!
I mean REALLY big!
And for some reason it was a lot harder to stay up as late as usual – sometimes we even fell asleep at the dinner table.
But the best new thing was meeting all the (second) cousins and (great) aunts and uncles who gathered this year for Christmas in Minnesota from Jeffrey's mom's side of the family.
 |
| Cousin Adam, Kristen, Jeffrey, Cousin Jessica, Cousin Andy |
We all went to see uncle Matt (center w/guitar) rock out with his bluegrass band Hamdog.
We met cousin Jessica -
And her brother cousin Adam -
And Adam's wife Meredith -
Cousin Ben -
And Ben's wife Katy, who is expecting a new cousin for Milo very soon!
And Jessica, Ben and Adam's parents great auntie Mimi -
And great Uncle Al -
And Cousin Carrie
Carrie's brother cousin Andy and his fiancée Jenny, to be wed this coming August!
Andy and Carrie's parents - great auntie Carla -
And great uncle George -
 |
| Milo learning poker with the guys |
----------------
Finally came Christmas eve, which was very nice, very traditional, and very full of laughing family, like so many from Jeffrey's childhood. We went to church and sang our hearts out at the Christmas Eve children's service.
And then we ate what is favorite meal of the year for many people in our family, the Christmas Eve Swedish dinner.
Click here for auntie Krissy's video tour of the typical Swedish Christmas meal.
Not everyone has Swedish roots in our family though, and some of the singing was in Norwegian.
We finished the evening with some proper Christmas reading, and Milo and mom fell asleep, nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
----------------
On Christmas morning the Jeffrey's sister Kristen's family, the Poppletons, came over so the cousins could open their presents together!
 |
| Will, Rachel and Milo |
 |
| Milo opening his first Christmas stocking. |
 |
| Rachel showing Milo her big present, an American Girl doll. |
Later, we spent Christmas day dinner with Jeffrey's dad's side of the family at Milo's great auntie Lynny and great uncle Brad's house. Milo was very happy to finally meet his great Aunts Lynny and Lora, and his cousin Suzy.
 |
| With great auntie Lynny. |
 |
| With great auntie Lora. |
 |
| With cousin Suzy and great auntie Lynny. |
 |
| With cousin Suzy. |
----------------
After Christmas, we visited with some of Jeffrey's oldest friends. First we went to see Jeffrey's surrogate brother Kevin and his wife Sunny, as well as their daughter Sophie, born just weeks apart form Milo.
Next old friends Dan and Amy and their daughter Mia came over to the house for a little lunch.
Mia gave Milo a sweet and soft toad for Christmas, which Milo loves very much now!
And we had another very nice lunch with Jeffrey's college friend Mike as well as high school friend Karl and wife Areca.
----------------
One of our most memorable days was spent in the company of Jeffrey's great Aunts Lillian and Helen, two sisters of Jeffrey's late paternal grandfather Milo Iverson. It was a long drive to Lillian's house out in the countryside near Brooten. Joined by Helen's daughters Joy and Nancy, Lillian welcomed us so warmly with a lovely little lunch and many Norwegian jokes and family stories.
 |
| With great great aunt Lillian. |
 |
| With great great aunt Helen. |
After lunch, Lillian and Helen showed us some wonderful old photos of the family, especially of grandpa Milo and his brothers and sisters.
 |
| Milo (left) with mother Ida Iverson and one of Milo's siblings - sister Ione? |
 |
| From right to left, Milo with siblings Ione, Helen and Leslie in the 1920s |
 |
| Young brothers Milo (in back) and Leslie (crawling) |
We made sure to take some keepsake photos of our own.
----------------
Another evening spent pouring over family photos came during a cousin’s dinner hosted by Adam and Meredith.
Milo’s great aunt and uncle Mimi and Al shared photos with all of us of their trip to Israel this spring, where they visited with the Israeli branch of our family, descendants of Jeffrey’s great great Uncle Hillel, the brother of his maternal great grandma Ida Gingold. Mimi and Al found Israel to be a country rich in beauty, both ancient and modern, with a history as complex as its present.
They visited the Yav Vashem Valley of the Communities, dedicated to Jewish communities that suffered 19th century pogroms as they did the horrors of WWII. Among them were listed the cities of Volkovisk (Wolkowyje) and Pleshchenitsy in Belarus, where Milo David’s great great grandparents David and Ida Gingold were born respectively.
 |
| David and Ida Gingold |
More than anything, they enjoyed spending time with Mimi's cousins, brothers Edward and Henry (Hillel) Manne and their families.
Al and Hillel, a successful Israeli winemaker, talking during a lunch with him and his children and grandchildren.
And they had a lovely time with Edward and his family as well, at their home in a hilltop community of religious and non-religious Jews about 45 minutes from Carmiel in the Golan Heights.
 |
| Aunt Mimi with cousin Edward Manne (far right), his wife Rikki, their youngest son and Edward’s mother Jackie. |
Edward's mother Jackie was a favorite cousin of Jeffrey's late maternal grandpa Archie, son of David Gingold. She has been a frequent visitor to all of us in Minnesota over the years.
Mimi confided that upon leaving Israel, she was surprised by the strong emotions that welled up in her. She found herself wishing more than ever for the happiness and well being of our cousins there, and for the seeming miracle of a true and lasting peace to finally come to the Middle East.
----------------
It was a true whirlwind of visits and precious moments with family and friends. After all the activity, one of our favorite evenings was one of our last, a quiet time we spent relaxing on the couch at the Poppletons' house.
Milo was very impressed with his cool and kind cousins. Rachel serenaded us with a rendition of jingle bells.
And big cousin Will took Milo under his wing and watched out for him throughout the evening.
----------------
It made for a lot of wonderful memories, which we carried with us home on the airplane, and in our dreams.
What wonderful ways a baby changes a person. For Perrine and I, watching Milo grow daily before our eyes has been like having an outward manifestation of the growth happening inside ourselves over the last months, as we ease into our new lives, and try to understand what it means to be a mother, a father and a family. We wonder what it must be like being Milo, growing up hearing two languages spoken all the time, living in a big city, with family spread out over many countries. It's nothing like our childhoods, that's for sure! In truth, sometimes we feel that we've been handed a life we were not quite brought up or trained for, that we're playing this all by ear, with no map in hand. It's a little bit scary at times!
But then we ask ourselves if every generation hasn't felt like that in their own way before us? How did Perrine's grandparents, who lived through the terrible years of World War II, feel raising their children through an era of prosperity and women's rights and May '68? And how did Milo's immigrant ancestors feel leaving their homes to travel across the Atlantic in search of religious freedom and farm land and new lives in a strange young country called America?
No, perhaps we shouldn't worry about feeling occasionally overwhelmed by all this, and we shouldn't worry about whether Milo will develop strong bonds with places and people on opposite sides of the Atlantic. Where there is love (and cousins!) we are at home. And if the economic crisis of the past year has taught us anything, it's that we are all connected to one another in more ways than we can imagine. Yes, in 2012 the world is a smaller place than it ever has been, and we feel close to all of you, dear family and friends, no matter where you live in the world. We hope you do too. Our warmest wishes to you for the new year.
No comments:
Post a Comment