Loop Back

On Tuesday of this week I walked Jake into his new high school to get his class schedule. He tugged at his shirt and looked around nervously to see if he recognized any of his friends from his elementary school while I tugged at my own shirt wondering if the new baby was making its sweet little presence known on this momentous day. Jake and I realized together that when this baby goes into Kindergarten, Jake will be going into University. We laughed at the thought of it. What a lucky little brother or sister, having all of these big people to look up to!

Freddy was asking me one night about what makes up a family. I had explained to him that there are all different kinds of families. That I had grown up with three moms: my mom, and my two sisters who were a lot older (ha ha!) than me. When I was in grade eight, Tracey was married and I would often go to their place for sleepovers. I have fond memories of snuggling with their cat "Muffin" who, to my utmost glee, had kittens. I got to sleep on their pull-out couch and listen to the symphony of purring beside me on the floor. We'd always have peanut butter toast in the morning for breakfast on whole grain bread. We'd listen to the chickadees outside of their bathroom window, and that's when Tracey taught me how the chickadee got its name.

When I stayed at Lori and Dave's she always let me use all of her really expensive skin cream and makeup. I'd take a steaming hot shower and wash my hair with fancy salon products, slathering my locks in $60 leave-in conditioner. The best part? Lori would throw a huge fluffy bath towel into the dryer for me while I was showering so that when I got out, I could wrap myself up with it.

I imagine that I would have driven them nuts and so I'm not sure how I deserved all this sweet treatment but for some reason or another, they still gave it to me.

What makes a family? Even though we accept that it isn't always a mom, a dad, a son, a daughter and a golden retriever, we still tend to bend that way. Andrew and I giggle (giggle?) nervously about what we'll look like at Costco with my belly out ten feet and 5 kids rallying around us like protesters. Or school Christmas concerts when we have to reserve the first two rows...for just our immediate family. Meanwhile we'll be texting our exes about who has the shepherd's costume and oh, Katie just threw up in her angel wings.

I guess just like any other family, it's a group project. We look out for each other from the oldest to the youngest, looping back for hot towels and peanut butter toast. Everyone has something to offer and nobody knows what the hell is going on but at the end of it all, we all link up arms and take a bow.

As long as the baby is walking by then.