It seems impossible that it's been almost a year since that picture in the masthead was taken. My niece is so grown up since then, and I am going to get to see her next weekend, along with my pregnant sister, who, if she loves me, will have niece #2 while I'm there. I will do my part by running her around, as she will officially be off of strict bed rest, and exposing her to the hilarity that only my man can bring. I'm pretty sure he may send her into a laughing fit that will spit the baby right out, such is the extent that he brings the funny.
Also, that kind of spontaneous labor would be a great distraction from him meeting my one family member I'm nervous about. He has met my dad, stepmother, sister, brother-in-law, my bestest fabulous gay boyfriend, as well as not one, but two of my exes who remain close friends. I wasn't the least bit worried about any of them. My mother...she is the one to fear. She's a little ummmm unpredictable. She is infamous for saying the following types of things to former boyfriends:
"Sure, you're cute, but I just don't trust you. You have the sort of charm that will wear off in a matter of weeks"
"If you don't treat her better, she's going to run off with someone who is better looking, more fun, and richer than you, and I'll be happy to help her"
Nice, huh? She means well, in her own crazy way, but it's still ridiculous. She wonders why she has never gotten remarried since she and my dad split...which was approximately right after I was born. Yikes.
I've tried to warn the boyfriend as best I can, but really, there is no telling how she will be. She can also be warm and lovely. It's a 50/50 sort of thing. Wish him luck.
October adventures
Posted by elizabeth at 4:33 PM Labels: family drama, Lillian/Violet, my man, sista
Check out the baby ticker on the left over there. Cool, but creepy. I love it. Bed-resting sister most definitely won't make it quite that long, but I put it up there because I'm an optimist, dammit. She is doing well, considering the stress a 6 month pregnant lady has going on. A little stir crazy, but that's to be expected when you're a person who is constantly doing and going and running with all of the doing stuff all the time. Thanks to those who have emailed and stuff. We're all just hoping for the best, and I'll probably be going down there soon to do whatever I can.
Speaking of creepy though...have you seen this? (warning: NOT SAFE for eating before or right after)
***I should have mentioned before: this is the result of a brown recluse spider bite. You probably want to avoid those little suckers.***
They really do think stuff like that, don't they?
Just an example of why I'm happy to announce that my sister, bestest sister and mother of the cutest baby on the planet (see below), is having another girl. 
Ok, so I'm not thrilled with the choice of eyewear, but I'm leaning toward my mother as the culprit for that bad fashion choice. You should see her reading glasses. Hideous things. Also, she owns a pair of pants with a multi-colored, bright pastel print of shoes on them. Why? I have no clue. Maybe it's something that happens to women when they become grandmothers. In any event, the glasses are not Lillian's fault. She doesn't know any better yet. I will be seeing her in a few weeks. We will have a chat about allowing the "adults" to put silly looking things on her.
But I digress...
I'm going to be an aunt to another adorable baby girl, and now I'm at a loss. You see, buying stuff for the first baby was easy. They didn't have anything. Now, they have all sorts of baby girl stuff. Lillian's closet is full of adorable things she never even had the chance to wear, so clothes (and shoes) are out. What am I supposed to get the new kid?
Lillian Ruth is here and baby and mommy are doing great. She's only a little one, just over 4 pounds, but 17 inches long. All fingers and toes are accounted for, and she apparently looks exactly like her mommy, but with dark hair, like her aunt. Our genes are strong ones. I spoke to my sister and her hubby, and they are exactly as you'd imagine brand spankin' new parents should be...immensely happy and exhausted. I can't get down there soon enough. Yay for my sister, who delivered her completely naturally, not that she had a choice. Apparently, once Lillian decided to come, she did so fast and furiously. Thanks for everyone's well wishes. I promise pictures as soon as I can get my hands on some. My mom is a photographer, so I'm sure by midmorning, my inbox will be full of them.
Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmakah, and you all got what your heart desires. It's about 12 minutes until my birthday, so before I get even older, some thoughts from me to you.
If you're able to read this, you are more fortunate than most of the world. It means you have internet access, you are literate, and well, you know me, either for real or at the very least, through somebody who knows me or of me. Lucky you. I am very fortunate because I have a family, who like everyone's, is totally screwed up, but unlike everyone's, totally means well and loves me. For that, I am very grateful.
I am staying with my sister who is 7 months pregnant. It's pretty amazing to see the girl I grew up with, only 14 months older than I am, carrying around a tiny human being inside her. It completely blows away all of the large annoyances and minor irritations in my life, because in comparison to that one small person growing inside her, it is all infinitesimal. My sister and her wonderful, loving, fabulous husband, whom I would like to clone for all of the single women in the world who claim that there are no good men to be found, had a difficult time conceiving this baby, and they may be the most deserving parents-to-be, ever. Of course, I am totally biased, but I'm still right. I plan on being the completely annoying, overly bragging aunt, and if you hate baby pictures, you better forget about this page come February. If you think that you cannot tell a baby's genius by the way she drools or hiccups, you might also want to forget about it, because I'm sure I'll be predicting future nobel prize winnings based on those facts alone. So until then, enough about the baby. I will leave you with a little Christmas do-gooder stuff.
Today, we volunteered at the place my mom works, because they were hosting a Christmas lunch for some kids who are not as fortunate as we are. They are kids with problems bigger than the average angst-filled teen. Some have parents who are locked up for violent crime and have no other family to raise them. Some have developmental and/or emotional distress issues, and have been moved from foster home to foster home in search of a family who can cope. Runaways and kids who have been abandoned. I knew nothing about this organization before today, but I'm sure there are scores more out there across the country. I know it's easy to focus on helping the needy when we have a terrible disaster, like Hurricane Katrina, and I'm glad we all finally get off our asses when something like that happens. But the other 364 days of the year that you don't go to the Red Cross with a donation for that cause, perhaps you can consider a few hours to help an organization like this, even if it's only a couple of times a year. These people don't necessarily need your money, but a couple of hours can buy you a smile from a kid who was hungry and unhappy just 10 minutes before he set eyes on you, even if there's no tax deduction.
