Dear Sadie

Hello little Sadie,

I am your Auntie Nicole. We've never met, and technically, we're not even related, but your mommy & I have been "bosom buddies" for....well, let me count....approximately 20 years. FYI, when you're friends with someone THAT long, you automatically become an Auntie to their offspring, and bypass the whole related-by-blood thing. But I know you have lots of real Aunties already, so if we end up just referring to each other by our first names only, that's okay too. Bottom line: Because of the connection I have to your Mama, your entrance into this world has deeply touched me and filled my heart with a tremendous amount of joy- so much so, that I had to blog about it.

So, you are not yet even 24 hours old, and I've only seen one photo of you thus far (as if your parents have been a little too tired or busy to meet our impatient demands) and when I saw your sweet little face on the screen, I just felt overwhelmed to say a few things. Bear with me.

I want you to know that your mommy is one of the most extraordinary people I have ever met. I would say most of my fondest memories from my "minor" years involve her in one way or another. She & I did so many things together, and we sort of grew up together. When you have a friendship that spans that many years, you undergo a metamorphosis that take you from being girls into becoming women (one time Britney Spears wrote a really awful song about this- ask your mommy about it). We were just kids when we met, and now we have kids. It's hard to describe, but I pray that someday you will understand, and that your own life experiences will allow you to be blessed by a friendship equally profound and precious.

You are one lucky girl, Miss Sadie, because I've seen a million times over the capacity your mommy has to laugh and to love, and those two things will sure come in handy when she's raising you. Really, what more could you ask for? If there's anything I could wish for you, it's that you would embrace your mother's passion & zeal for life and humor and truth and knowledge and shoes. She's an incredibly smart woman, Sadie. Ask her for advice when you need it, because she has offered me some of the best advice and insight to date. When she & I were about 16, we used to laugh and dream about the day we'd have little Edith's & little Nicole's running around, and by golly- here we are. Not that you're ready to run around just yet, but after a few blinks of an eye, you will be. That's how quickly babies like you grow- you blink a few times and boom! Growth. Oh, I pray you three will savor each other. Even though you are all a bit exhausted and bruised and delirious, I pray that you and your parents relish in every little breath and grunt you make, and every little mysterious tar poop you create. (You see, I'm a poet. And you did not know it.)

And, so dear Little One, please forgive me if, when I meet you, I happen to giggle and shed a tear and/or bite your nose & toes. I just may not be able to help myself. I promise to always be the "Auntie" that divulges the hilarious stories about your mother (warning: they are riddled with boy-crazed silliness. Good thing she had me to keep her good and well-grounded).

Welcome to the world, sweet girl.

Love,
Auntie Nicole or Nicole or Nic or Nicoley or Coley