my niece...

She was born three months ago today in sunny Lisbon... that day was further marked by the city's Benfica securing their fourth football championship in a row (both her father and his brother, my partner, as well as their mother could not be more over the moon that day)  and Portugal winning the Eurovision Song Contest... who would have thought that just one day can bring so much joy to our family?!... and yes, that night, I got sooooo drunk!! So many reasons to celebrate but above and before all, the birth of that little angel with the world's sweetest face and the world's brightest smile and the world's cutest little feet with the cutest little toes! Footsies that I hope will inherent my collection of shoes! Who's her favourite aunt, right?!

I met her for the first time when she was 20 days old.... I had almost forgotten how it is to be totally lost for words and overwhelmed by love and sweetness just by looking at a tiny, tiny person! Now, those who know me, know that I'm no sucker for babies... I mean, I never wanted to have one of my own and I can tell you, usually I'm not happy to meet them when I'm boarding a plane, especially for a long haul flight... but it breaks my heart every time I have to say goodbye to her (story of my life, always leaving home...) and I cannot wait until I have her once more in my arms! And sing to her and speak to her in Greek (need to prepare her for her island hopping in the Aegean, of course) and see the way my partner looks at her, with eyes full of love and joy, when he's holding her.... it breaks my heart that I will be leaving her again and again and the only thing that saves me is the promise that I will always be going back to her...

But aside the honeylike, loving feelings that a new baby brings to a family, and she certainly has brought to ours, she is on top of it a girl! A future woman! And, goodness me, does this world need more women!! I am aware, a certain blond and her "alternative facts" have tried to give our gender a very bad name this year (oh, it's been a helluva winter and the summer has proved even crazier, don't even get me started... I mean, you did notice my long silence, right?...) but at the same time thousands of us have walked together for justice and equality and love and peace, showing that more of us are in this for the good than for the bad! So, although it scare me to the bone that this world has become a looney house and my sweet, little niece will have to live in it because, well, there is no other option (for now), I'm hopeful that we, my generation, still have a chance to fix it a bit for her sake and give her the opportunity to fix it even further! Am I delusional? No. We can. We can all do better. We just have to try. For her sake, for all children's sake! 

Now, how's that for "better than shoes", right? Happy 3-months birthday, B!