BabyOregonian, Musings, Poems, The Little Peach, Tidbits About Us

Welcome to the World, Little Peach!

September 28, 2013

Nine months after our adventures around the globe, on the morning of September 17th, 2013, we welcomed little Lucie Anne Rydmark into our world. Our little Peach came the day before her due date – or, right on time, if you calculate by New Zealand clocks…

I can remember one year ago, strolling the beaches at sunrise, watching women gather seaweed on the shores of Zanzibar. Meeting Salama (leading to one of my favorite memories of the entire trip – learning to make octopus curry from scratch). My, how the sands of time change the landscape of life…

This path of practicing patience and striving for balance, learning new ropes and adjusting priorities, leaves me in awe. I draw deeply from the experiences of last year and sink into the newness of this unfolding chapter, all the while wondering which adventures await this beautiful little girl of ours.


She’s captured all our hearts…and taken up who-knows-how-many megabytes of digital photo storage. (I couldn’t resist. @thelittlepeach!)


She’s a joy.

Ted and I find ourselves smiling at each other and then back at her and wondering how on earth we ended up so blessed.

These days and nights are so very full of just the simple basics. Eat, rest, repeat. And deal with diapers, of course. Much the same as the journey of pregnancy, I hope we can pause enough in the spaces between the mundane to revel in the treasures of life. And I hope my dear little adventurer lives out the same sweet pace in her own life, valuing the journeys just as much as the destinations…


Ithaka
Posted in dedication to the little Peach.

Pray that your journey be long,
full of many summer mornings
when with much pleasure and much joy
you anchor in harbors never seen before;
Browse through Phoenician markets,
to purchase exquisite treasures-
mother-of-pearl and coral, ebony and amber
and sensual perfumes of all kinds-
as much as you desire.

Visit many Egyptian cities, content
to sit at the feet of sages, eager
and open to receive learning.
Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Your arrival there is your destiny.
But do not hurry the journey at all; be patient.

Better that it lasts for many years-
longer than you can even imagine.
So that finally, when you reach this
sacred isle, you will be wise,
abundantly fulfilled by all you have gained along the way;
no longer expecting Ithaka to make you wealthy,
no longer needing Ithaka to make you rich.

Ithaka has given you the journey,
the chance to discover who you have always been.
Without Ithaka as your inspiration, you
never would have set out in search of Wholeness.

And should you find her poor, Ithaka did not deceive you.
Authentic as you have become, full of wisdom,
beauty and grace, enriched and enlightened by all you have experienced
You will finally understand what all of life’s Ithakas truly mean.

~Constantine P. Cavafy | translation/adaptation by Sarah Ban Breathnach






Many, many thanks to:

  • Sari Bari for my favorite baby blankets in all the world, hand-stitched by wonderful women in Kolkata, India. (For more about Sari Bari, check the Beautiful Ideas Help the World post from last October.)
  • Our supportive friends and family who have showered us with love, meals, prayers, support.
  • The midwives and assistants at Andaluz Water Birth Center.
  • The lovely Erin Tole for taking these beautiful birth-day pictures…and our peach orchard maternity photos…AND the adorable newborn pictures coming soon!

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25 Comments

  • Reply Adventurous Kate September 28, 2013 at 7:00 pm

    She is absolutely beautiful. Congratulations!

    • Reply Bethany ~ twoOregonians November 13, 2013 at 12:11 am

      Thank you so much, Kate! We’ve been enjoying her so much… Also, trying to catch up on sleep whenever possible ; )

  • Reply Carmel September 28, 2013 at 7:29 pm

    Congratulations!!! She is darling. I love the poem, too. What fantastic parents you must be :)

    • Reply Bethany ~ twoOregonians November 13, 2013 at 12:12 am

      We have such wonderful examples in our lives to help us live up to the challenge. She’s just amazing…

      So glad you loved the poem, too!

  • Reply Kathleen & bob Hockett. September 28, 2013 at 9:55 pm

    very happy for all of you….

    • Reply Bethany ~ twoOregonians November 13, 2013 at 12:13 am

      Thank you so much, Kathleen! xx

  • Reply Shelia September 28, 2013 at 10:51 pm

    So beautiful! what an incredible blessing! :)

    • Reply Bethany ~ twoOregonians November 13, 2013 at 12:14 am

      I still can’t believe sometimes that she’s really here, really ours, really here to stay… : )

  • Reply Kirsten September 29, 2013 at 7:45 am

    She is SOO beautiful and your words so perfect. I already love following this dear one’s journey through the world. What a gift she is to us all.

    • Reply Bethany ~ twoOregonians November 13, 2013 at 12:15 am

      Oh, I so, so hope you can meet her one day soon. She’s started smiling, and it just is the most heart-melting thing in the whole wide world. And to think this is just the beginning!

  • Reply Ursula September 30, 2013 at 6:46 pm

    Welcome to the world of social media little Lucie!

    • Reply Bethany ~ twoOregonians November 13, 2013 at 12:16 am

      What on earth is she going to think of me when she realizes how many pictures I’ve posted of her by the time she’s aware of what’s going on? ; )

  • Reply Hogga October 1, 2013 at 1:02 pm

    what a beautiful little girl :)

    • Reply Bethany ~ twoOregonians November 13, 2013 at 12:16 am

      Thanks, Lindsay! xx

  • Reply Monica Bourgeau October 3, 2013 at 7:13 am

    So beautiful! Congratulations!

    • Reply Bethany ~ twoOregonians November 13, 2013 at 12:17 am

      Thank you so much, Monica : )

  • Reply Brett Domue October 6, 2013 at 8:31 am

    Congratulations guys!

    • Reply Bethany ~ twoOregonians November 13, 2013 at 12:18 am

      Hey Brett! Thanks so much for the congrats. Can’t wait to teach little Lucie all about fine Italian foods once she has an appetite for more than milk ; ) Hope you and Erin are well. Tell her hi from us!

  • Reply Dalene October 7, 2013 at 12:10 pm

    She is so, so lovely! Congratulations you two…er…three! :)

    • Reply Bethany ~ twoOregonians November 13, 2013 at 12:21 am

      So glad to “introduce” her to you : ) She’s more of a sweetheart every day…and I’m loving the number three!

  • Reply Tawny of Captain and Clark November 15, 2013 at 3:29 pm

    Oh my goodness! She is a beautiful little peach! Congratulations you two. This is surely one of the biggest adventures yet!

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