The joys of motherhood

I have had the pleasure of being born a younger sibling. As everyone knows, being the youngest sibling comes with the most responsibilities. You have to be the funniest, coolest, prettiest and overall best member of your family, which is a lot of pressure. I had been the baby of my family for a long time, reaping the benefits of being the cutest and, therefore, receiving all of the presents and exclamations of “Aww, how precious.” (Sorry, John.) Ask any member of my family, and I guarantee they will tell you that I was the sweetest little girl to ever be. 

Did you need comedic relief? I was there. Did you want to watch a fashion show of some arguably atrocious outfits? I was there. Did you need someone to sit and ask you endless questions about things that you had no idea about? I was there. I provided endless entertainment for my family.

Then I grew up. Now I am 21, no longer a baby. I am still the funniest, coolest, prettiest and overall best member of my family. (Sorry again, John.) However, I have to concede and say that some cuter girls have popped up in the last few years.

To the three E’s — Evee, Ellie and Edee — in my humble, but correct, opinion, you are the three cutest girls that I will ever have the privilege of loving. One could even go as far as to say that they are my pride and joy! There is nothing that makes me smile harder than hearing their laughter or seeing their sweet smiles.

Something that makes me a little sad is the fact that I have not been to my hometown in Florida for almost a year. I haven’t been back since January. However, I choose to believe that it has always been for a good reason. A short drive from the beautiful city of Pittsburgh is where the majority of my family has set up roots, and this is where the girls live. I have decided to pick the much shorter drive to Pittsburgh instead of either the long drive to Florida or facing my fears of flying. I would make this decision a million times to see those girls.

In less than a week, Edee is getting baptized. And I have the beautiful opportunity to be her godmother. I have embraced this identity wholeheartedly and have done my due diligence of bringing presents for her when I go to visit. I remember when Maddie first asked me to be her godmother, and I cried. I was so excited that I cried. I remember the day when Edee was born. I also cried. While I may not be her real mother, being able to sit and watch her and her sisters grow up is such an insane feeling.

I think this is exactly how everyone in my family felt watching me. I blinked, and Evee (who was born in 2018) is now walking and dancing. Nobody knows when she went from not being able to crawl to chasing us through the yard. One day, my family members looked at me and I was no longer the baby. I was old and capable. 

I don’t want Edee to grow up. Even in the past 6 months, Edee has just kept growing. I know that I’m going to shut my eyes to play peek-a-boo and open them to see her in elementary school. Or her high school graduation. Or her college graduation. Or her wedding. 

But for now, I’m savoring the fact that she is little, and the fact that her and her sisters love to play peek-a-boo and hide and seek. I’m savoring the fact that Evee still tugs on my arm to ask me to help her color. I’m savoring the fact that Ellie puts stickers on me in complete silence.

While I am reminiscing on the joys of motherhood, I want to take a moment to shout out some important moms in my family. First, I’d like to shout out my own mother. Thank you for picking up a phone call from me every single time I walk somewhere, even if it is five minutes after I just called you. To Nana, thank you for raising such a great mom and for supporting me with love and endless baked goods. To Aunt Pam and Joy, thank you for always treating me like your own daughter — I am comforted by the fact that I can call you and ask you anything and you will always be there. To Maddie, thank you for being the closest thing I have to an older sister and for being such a good role model. Thank you for being the cool mom to three of the sweetest girls I will ever know, and thank you for making me a godmother.

Taylor Swift put it best when she said “Take pictures in your mind of your childhood room / Memorize what it sounded like when your dad gets home / Remember the footsteps, remember the words said / And all your little brother’s favorite songs.” I am so happy that I was fortunate enough to have such a strong group of women to support me as I grew older. I look at Maddie and her daughters, and I love knowing that I am a part of their web now.

Hug your mom. Hug your grandma. Hug your aunts. Hug your family. Hug your godmother.