4. Afteryule 1369

Dear Diary,

Delighted squeals and joyful laughter fill my ears while I write these pages. Drogo is enjoying this grey winter evening with Frodo by the fireside. I could watch my two beloved ones for hours. I have never seen Drogo as happy as he is now. Even after three months, he beams at our little one as he did the first time he looked at him.

He keeps telling me I am just as delighted and beam with even more pride than he does and that would hardly surprise me. I was gifted with almost two months of respite with fewer relatives visiting and more sleep, for Frodo has slept through the night for the last two weeks. I am glad for every bit of rest granted me, but I also savour every minute I can spend with my dear child.

And I am so proud of him! We spent Yule at the Hall and my sweet little star was the centre of attention. Every single one of his aunts, uncles and cousins wanted to have a look at him, to hold and cradle him. Frodo was awed by so many faces, looking at them wide-eyed and with his mouth open. Not only had his relatives caught his attention, but so did the many candles and lights in the Hall and the tied up bunches of mistletoe. Whenever he discovered one of the olive green, ribboned bundles, he would squeal with glee and excitement much to the enjoyment of his relatives.

I don't think there is a single person left in my family who has not fallen in love with my baby-boy and there were few who did not earn at least a smile from him in the four days we spent at the Hall. O, that smile! One is helpless against it. What I considered a perfect smile on his month old face is nothing compared to the blessings he is giving me now. His entire face lights up when he smiles and the sight of his happiness is breathtaking. It fills my heart with such profound joy that it feels fit to burst. And because Frodo is my child, my very own precious baby, I will be gifted with more of those smiles than anyone else. I would not part from him again for anything on this earth.

Being the proud mother I am, I did not miss the opportunity to show off my darling's latest achievement. Frodo is able to sit up now, not for long, of course, and only with support, but he is sitting. My brothers and sisters were very impressed. Gilda too, though she visited us before Yule, was utterly taken. "He's a darling," she told me without taking her eyes off him. "And has grown so much since I last saw him. O, Primie, you have no reason to worry. I knew from the very beginning that everything would be all right with him."

Her comment made me blush from pride and bashfulness. Yes, I had worried a lot throughout my pregnancy, but I could not know what bliss would be given to me.

Still, four days full of feasting, entertainment, unknown places and faces were too much even for Frodo. By the evening of the third day, he was crotchety and the fourth day was an ordeal for both of us. There were no more dazzling smiles and he started crying as soon as he was awake. That afternoon, I retreated to the Master's room to give Frodo some quiet. The festivities had exhausted me as well and I was very relieved to return home that evening where our routine could return to normal again.