I got a call yesterday afternoon.

“Hi. This is your sister. (As if I wouldn’t know her voice.) I’m in the hospital.”

“You are? Is it time?”

“They’ve just given me the meds to induce.”

“Ohhh. Okay. Well, call me when you go into labor. I don’t want to hang out up there for 2 days like last time. Not that I’m not excited…but…”

I’m busy. I have a lot going on in my life. I’m going to school full time. I’m working full time. I have other things to do and don’t have a lot of time to hang around waiting for a baby to decide to come.

Ugh. This makes me sound heartless. I’m not. No one gets more excited about the babies than I do. That’s why I’m usually called first. Everyone knows how much I love my nieces and nephews.

A little later:

“Hey. Your sister told me to call you. We’re getting close, we think. She’s 7 cm and 90% effaced.”

“What does that mean? Is she going to have it soon?”

“I’d get here as soon as you can.”

“Can I wait until after work? Do you think there is time?”

“Oh, yeah…that’s only 25 minutes. Just get here quick.”

I got to the hospital and Lillyn was already there. She had arrived less than 5 minutes after my brother-in-law called me. I missed the birth.

Darn it.

It seems that everyone missed the birth except my sister (of course), my brother-in-law, and my mom.

My sister had this baby fast compared to her son. He took 2 days to get around to coming into the world.

I got there, though, and was so overwhelmed. Another beautiful girl to come into this world. She’s so soft. She’s so little. She has a healthy set of lungs. She has kissable little lips. She has a ton of hair. She has perfect little hands that gripped my finger and beautiful little fingernails.

We have another girl. I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am.

I love the babies.

As I was getting ready to leave, my sister said to me, “You have another baby without having to go through the labor.”

I smiled. It’s a joke. I tell her that her son is also mine because I was there during all of the labor and helped deliver him. He’s partly mine.

“Yes,” I said. “I have another baby.”

And she’s beautiful.