My baby girl already has a lot of people who love her, especially me. She's also got a fleet of three children who are dying to meet her- her aunt and uncles. For Christmas, I told my dad and stepmom that they could take off for a whole weekend and I would watch the kids. I got here eight hours ago and I'm exhausted.
When I got pregnant, I knew the world was not going to slow down for me. Little did I know how much I would slow down in spite of the world. Elementary-age children are fast. They think fast, talk fast, move fast. They like to spin in circles for no reason and they will literally get distracted by something shiny. I've been keeping up with my siblings for over a decade, and until now, I was always bigger, faster, tougher. It seems I have gotten puffy and soft.
The oldest, Jack, is tricky. Intellectually, he's way ahead of the game, but getting him to just accept that he's a kid requires patience. While in the car earlier, all four of us were brainstorming good Disney movies because I would like to accumulate a few of the good ones for baby girl. Jack stood his ground and maintained that despite the surprising amount of stabbing, Disney movies are lame. He wanted to watch a "Jurassic Park" or "Star Wars" movie this evening, but let's just say no one was holding him down when we watched "The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride."
My sister, Carly, would probably massage my feet if I said they were sore. She will do absolutely any chore or favor without needing to be asked. If you try to wrangle her into a pair of jeans, however, she will fight you tooth and nail. She's a simple girl with a kind heart. Earlier, I had to tell her to stop doing everything for me because she just didn't have to. When I asked her if the glass bottle I drank from went into the recycling, she said, "Hang on just one second and I'll put it in there for you." I have every faith that she will spoil her little niece rotten, and that's fine with me. Every little girl needs a cool aunt.
Not to be forgotten for even a second, Thomas has always existed as the comic and calming relief. Quieter than the other two, TJ will always go with the flow. I don't know if I've ever met a 6-year-old with better manners, and because he's so sweet, he's hard to resist. Thomas reminds me that even quiet children still have incredibly active minds. This afternoon, he willingly offered up the information that rock climbing harnesses feel like really big underwear. Were we having a conversation about rock climbing or underwear at the time? Nope.
Some people might think it's odd that my daughter will have an 11-year-old uncle, a 9-year-old aunt and a 7-year-old uncle when she's born. I honestly wouldn't have it any other way. As kids themselves, they'll be able to share things with her that maybe I've forgotten. I was 10, 12 and 14 years old when each of my siblings was born, and I loved watching them grow while I grew up myself.
Besides, heaven forbid some component of my having a child be conventional.
And a 20 year old aunt!
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