Thirty Years Ago...

My due date was September 22nd but she was not ready to come out. They didn't induce labor back then the way they do now so we waited.

On the night of September 30 I crawled into bed... and had a contraction. Not a strong one but definitely a contraction!

Then an hour later I had another one. I dozed off for a while but then had another one! They came all night.

I got out of bed at 8am and they stopped. I didn't have another contraction the entire day. So we waited some more.

That night I crawled back into bed and the contractions started again. All night, about an hour apart and the next morning they stopped. Not one single contraction all day.

And the third night, the same thing! That next day not a single contraction.

This was crazy! 

Soon to be... Auntie Elizabeth!

Beth's sister Sharaya and her husband Ryan, are due to have their baby any day now! They are having a girl, Allison Lucy. We are so anxious to meet her and to see who she looks like! The hustle and bustle of Thanksgiving is over and now we are just waiting for baby Allison. She is actually 11 days late... and counting! Sharaya will see her doctor tomorrow and there is a good possibility they will induce her then.

Allison is our first grandchild and we can hardly breathe!! The thought of holding our daughter's baby, is just beyond words. My mom passed away a few years ago and I so wish I could talk to her about all this! Did she feel this much excitement when I was pregnant? Did she create a space at home to care for the kids when they came over? Did she want to yell it from the rooftops, "I'm gonna be a Grandma!!" Or in my case, Nana!

I was recently asked, "Aren't you Sharaya's mom?" For a split second, Sharaya was back in 3rd grade and I was standing on the elementry school playground. And now, forever more, people will be asking her, "Aren't you Allison's mom?" It causes me to look at my daughter with new eyes. To see her not as my little girl, but as 'Allison's mom'.

And Beth wants to be called Auntie Elizabeth. I know she is up to the task and will shine with pride as Allison's Aunt.