Another fiery redhead, comin' right up

I’m going to be an auntie again – my wee baby sister is with child.* It's fun to come up with synonyms for "pregnant," isn't it? Knocked up. Bun in the oven. In a family way. Eating for two.

In my mind, my sister is still in the first grade but in actuality, she is 26. We (the whole fam damily) are all very happy for her, because what’s not to like about a baby? Particularly a redheaded one? She would tell you herself that the pregnancy was unplanned, but I figure that if we all waited until the time was right to have a baby, the population would surely plummet. After my nephew was born, she told me that she was going to have her second baby when the first kid reaches kindergarten. My nephew is nine months old so . . . well, hey, she only missed the mark by four years, give or take.

Redheaded Nephew #1

The first time around, my sister’s pregnancy was definitely a big surprise. She called me sometime around the holidays to tell me the news. She and her husband had moved to Oklahoma and then moved again (same area, different house) shortly after they got there. Here’s what she told me: “My pills were in a box somewhere; I just wasn’t sure where.” Now, call me crazy/anal-retentive/just-plain-organized, but I think most people would try to keep track of where they put their birth control. You wouldn't just shove it in a box with your canned soups or something. My sister is very bright, but she is a head-in-the-clouds sort of person and she doesn’t tend to obsess over things the way I do. One time, she and her husband came to visit me and literally caught their plane by the skin of their teeth. They threw everything into a suitcase and jammed it shut. When I picked them up at the airport, my sister said, “We knew we’d make it – we just didn’t know how.”

This time around, she took her pill late and now she is "with child." She told me she took it late "just a few days in a row." She started telling me how this particular type of pill is kinda tricky, kinda goofy and then I reminded her that it might just be her who is goofy. Birth control pills generally make it to market because they are . . . um, effective.

I poke fun at my sister but of course I am thrilled at having a new niece or nephew. It would be great if this one has a vagina because then I can pass girls’ clothing along to her.

My sister writes in her blog that she knows she is fortunate that this pregnancy business comes so easily to her. I lost four babies to miscarriage, and I have to admit that watching my sister’s ease in bearing children might be a little hard for me if not for the fact that I did become a mom three years ago. When I was struggling for so many years to achieve that goal, two people in my life offered to carry a baby for me. One was my youngest sister and one was my lifelong friend, R. I cannot begin to tell you how much it meant to me that they made that offer. Ultimately I became a mom through adoption, but I never forgot the selflessness of those offers. But now it's all behind me. And, I can relax with a glass of wine while my sister enjoys her morning sickness and swollen ankles and . . . no wine. I love her, even though she splits infinitives far more often than is necessary.

*Fine print included for the sole benefit of my baby sister:

Let it be known by all parties present that this blogger agrees to furnish birthday and Christmas gifts for up to three (3) redheaded nieces and nephews. Subsequent nieces and nephews will need to share what the first three got. Non-redheaded children shall not be eligible for gifts, cash, or prizes. This offer void where prohibited. Contestants need not be present to win.