A New Bebe

I have a new nephew! He was born yesterday afternoon - I think my Mom said that he was 7 lb 10 oz (same as Short Stuff!) but she was a little bit sketchy on details (she was tired after a long flight). My baby sister lives in Oklahoma (where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain) so my mom flew out there from DC. My sister was supposed to be induced on Thursday but ended up with a c-section instead. I'm surprised that he came a day early but I have to wonder if the calculations were always a bit off. If I know my sister, there is no way in hell that she had any idea of the first date of her last period when she first went to her OB/GYN (she is extremely bright but not what you'd call the model of organization). She hadn't planned to have a baby until after she finished graduate school, but she and her fiance (now husband) had just moved and her birth control pills were in a box somewhere and she "wasn't sure where."

So, the little guy wasn't planned but is of course a blessing. Of course we all wanted to know right away what his hair color is, because my sister has red hair. My Mom says it's something like light brown. My sister's water broke Monday night and she labored for something like 16 hours before they decided to do a c-section. The baby's heart rate was dropping so it became somewhat urgent to go ahead and get him out. I talked to my sister yesterday and she seemed to be doing well. I pointed out to her that her career as a bikini model is never going to get off the ground now and she said she had made peace with that.

I'd post a photo of him but my Mom can't find her camera. If I know my mother, it is somewhere in her bag and she will find it next week when she is packing up to leave. I can't believe my baby sister is a mommy! I was almost 12 years old when my youngest sister was born so in some ways I was more like a second mom than a sister. When she was little I used to take her to Chuck E. Cheese and to the KMart cafeteria for french fries. She was only in first grade when I went off to college. In my mind she should still hold my hand when she crosses the street, so my brain is having trouble computing the concept that a) she has sex and b) she had a baby! But, even though I have trouble thinking of my baby sister as a grown-up, she is in fact very capable and I know she's going to be a great mom.

I probably won't be able to see the wee lad until November, when we all go home to DC for Thanksgiving. I'm not holding my breath for any photos. My sister has no internet access which to me is the same as saying "my sister does not breathe oxygen." Does . . . not . . . compute.

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