Wednesday, June 16, 2010

In Which I Am Suddenly An Aunt, And Feel Very Old

I unexpectedly became an aunt this morning! 

Well, it wasn't completely unexpected.  We were just anticipating the baby's arrival about five weeks from now.  Unfortunately my sister-in-law developed some complications and the little guy had to be delivered by emergency c-section just over a month early.  However, both mom and baby are doing well, and we're hoping he'll be released from the step-down NICU soon.

So I'm officially an aunt now, which honestly kind of freaks me out, because my little brother is now a dad.  This makes me feel ancient.  I mean, it's bad enough that my son is now four, an age which I have memories of being.  I also remember my impression of my parents when I was that age.  They were ancient.  I mean, prehistoric.  Also they knew absolutely everything there was to know and were about 80 feet tall.  And that's me now, except that my parenting style contains less of knowing everything and much more of flying by the seat of my pants and having absolutely no clue what I'm doing. 

Oh, and did I mention I have somehow managed in the past year to acquire actual gray hair?  People still in their twenties are not supposed to have gray hair, saggy boobs or those little wrinkles at the corners of their eyes, all of which I now am sporting.  People in their twenties are supposed to be still waking up at ten after sleeping off their mojitos from the night before, which they spent clubbing in fabulous outfits with other stylish, young-looking people.  Okay, so I don't like mojitos.  Or clubbing.  Or wearing fabulous outfits, which tend to get drooled on around here.  But I feel totally jipped out of the waking-up-at-ten part, not to mention the part where I still have boobs that defy gravity.  What gives?

And now my little brother, who I remember toddling around in diapers and annoying the bejeezus out of me by making his plastic dinosaurs eat all of my dollhouse people, has a kid.  A super adorable kid, who I can already tell is going to take after his aunt in the looks and intelligence department, but a kid nonetheless.  This does not make me feel any younger. 

Oh well.  He's a beautiful little boy, and we're so happy he's here despite how ancient he makes me feel.  I can't wait for him to be old enough so that he and Connor can get into trouble together!

Even if I am totally old and decrepit by then.

~Jess

6 comments:

Tom said...

Love you Old Aunt Jessie.

-T

One Mom said...

Aww, congrats to you and your family!

Julia said...

Congratulations! I hope all goes well with both mother and son, and that he's soon released from the NICU. Between this birth and the arrival of Sylvie next year, your extended family is burgeoning.

As for the little laugh lines (which sounds much better than "crow's feet") and the insufficiently buoyant mammary appendages -- been there, acquired that. As long as you're young at heart, then the saggiest of boobs are of no real consequence (even if they do have more and more influence over your choice of swimwear).

littleterr said...

Wow! Did we ever have you bamboozled if you thought (still think?) that your dear parents weren't flying by the seat of our pants. Keeps life interesting. Love you.

Wherever HE Leads We'll Go said...

Congratulations. Hope he grows strong and healthy and heads home in no time!

I laughed and laughed at this post, partly because I can relate, and partly because I am WAY older than you! My first nephew graduated high school this year and the youngest started 1st grade. WOW. OLD doesn't begin to describe it!

xraevision said...

Congratulations on the addition to your family. Glad to hear that everyone is doing well, despite the surprise timing. You are so wise in the way you fly by the seat of your pants that I forget that you are still in your twenties!

 
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