Both ends of the spectrum

My best friend from high school had a baby girl last Thursday. I went to visit her and welcome her to the world on Monday. I forgot how small newborns are and she was a good sized baby, much bigger than my girls when they were born. I held her and she slept as newborns do, occasionally showing me that her startling reflex works and making the newborn noises. I never knew before having my own children, how absolutely noisy babies are when they sleep. I remember not being able to sleep, not because the baby was up all night, but because they were snoring or hiccuping or maybe I had to check that they were still breathing just one more time.

My friend and I talked baby talk, the talk you can only reach after you've had kids, and I was so excited that she was finally in the club, that I wouldn't bore her any more with me stories because now, well, she understood. She told me that it felt weird that she was finally here and I remembered the same feeling. We talked about breast feeding and jaundice and reflux and joy. Things that only mothers talk about and are only interesting to mothers.

The day before I met that little girl, we were out of town for another birthday party. My great aunt Martha turned 100 years young (as she likes to call herself). She is in ship-shape health, only having lost most of her hearing, her ears are really old and that's why she can't hear very good (according to Piper). She is also one of the funniest women I know. I grew up hearing her bicker with her sisters and playing canasta, their jersey accents making me laugh. While at the party she kept telling Jason and I to leave and go do something because she wanted to watch the girls. Here she is at a party in her honor with all these people there to see her and all she wanted to do was play with Piper and Finley. And the girls? Well, they love her as much as I have loved her. She told us last year at her 99th birthday that when she turned 90 she decided she was tired of walking and that was it, she is now in a wheelchair but scoots herself around and Finley was her personal assistant, pushing her from room to room. Happy birthday, Martha. What an inspiration.

The day before the 100th birthday we celebrated Jason's birthday. He makes our life sweeter, and although I am a little perturbed with him right now because he left me a sink full of dishes and headed off to Vegas, I guess I could cut him some slack because he works harder that most men I know to support his family and give us a nice life. That, and well, he's pretty sexy, ahem.

So we ended up at the beginning, close to the end, and somewhere right in the middle. What an inspiring time in our lives to see each step of life being played out and enjoyed and celebrated.