[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13296]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   BIRTH OF SANTIAGO ROYBAL OLIVAREZ

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 22, 2003

  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today for the best and most 
notable announcement a Member of Congress can ever make about a 
constituent: my grandson, Santiago Roybal Olivarez was born on Friday, 
May 16, 2003.
  Santiago is blessed to have a full contingent of doting family 
members ready to spoil him as soon as circumstances allow. My husband, 
Ed Allard, and I constitute one pair of loving grandparents. We are 
joined in our admiration of little Santiago by his maternal 
grandmother, Josefita Prietto. Santiago's great-grandparents--my 
father, former Representative Edward Roybal, and my mother, Lucille 
Beserra Roybal--and all his aunts and uncles, help complete the circle 
of Santiago's extensive admiration society.
  Better yet, Santiago has an admiring big brother in 1-year-old Diego. 
Diego has undergone major health problems since his own birth, causing 
real worries for his parents, Ricardo and Rory Olivarez. I hope very 
few parents will ever know the anxiety that Ricardo and Rory have 
experienced as the parents of a child inexplicably and unexpectedly 
born with an undiagnosed birth defect as they went forward faithfully 
with a second pregnancy. So everyone in the Roybal family, as well as 
Ricardo's and Rory's many friends who understand what they have gone 
through during the past 18 months, now share their joy that 7 pound, 6 
ounce Santiago is healthy and happy.
  Last Friday, I was fortunate to be with Rory and Ricardo on the 
wonderful day of Santiago's birth, and I intend to exercise my 
prerogatives as grandmother, to be first in line for babysitting duty 
for newborn Santiago and big brother Diego.
  Speaking on behalf of baby Santiago, I know that he is well prepared, 
along with big brother Diego, to provide Ricardo and Rory many joyous 
days and sleepless nights in the weeks and months to come. I know my 
colleagues join me in wishing the Olivarez family the very best in the 
years ahead.

                          ____________________