firsts

The other aspect of life that I've yet to report on, of course, is the similarly shifting role of live-in Aunt. The role of becoming an Auntie has been the single most transformed and important series of events in my life thus far. And yes, living with my sister and her twins these last three months has effected probably every aspect of my own life in predictable ways, but those alterations, too, have proven to be (extremely) positive. Going back to work, for all the ways that it was familiar and easy, was very strange for me on this level.

Lucky for me, this time around the boys were kind enough to wait for their Aunt to have a day off before they started some new antics. In fact, this past week I've been ringing my hands for my sister's sake as SL's night sleep suddenly went downhill fast the day I got the call to come back in, and continued throughout these last 7 days to be fitful and dramatic. MNJ, as is his disturbed sleep pattern, would be up more in the early morning hours... and awake at 5 or 5:30 to begin his day. As mamas do, she powered through (with a little help from our friends ;) ) and I've been hearing very sweet stories from their days together.

Wouldn't you know, yesterday as I was with MNJ while mama and SL were still asleep he started calling for "mama"! We've heard our share of "ba!" and "ga!" and the always enjoyable "geek!" coming from little M, and more and more often lately they've accompanied the corresponding sounds coming from us:
"Would you like to get down?"
"ga!"
"down?"
"da!"
That sort of thing. But this was something different, and clearly with the purpose of finding out where mama (!) was, what mama (!) was doing there, and when mama (!) would be back.

As if his brother was showing him up, SL decided the very next day to pull himself up to standing for the first time. This one was one of the milestones that brought tears to my eyes, his triumphant smile and squeals of excited laughter at his new skill were the icing on the cake. SL is not the kind of baby to just burst out laughing at any little thing, it was really quite a show. I guess add to that there were 2 then 3 days where I didn't see them much at all, suddenly these budding abilities illuminate everything extraordinary about the seemingly ordinary things (babies, jobs, a home) that have entered our lives. Not to mention the look on my sister's face telling me, first, about coming home to her second son calling her "mama!" and, not long after, watching her first born pick himself up. That radiant face will be with me for a long long time.