New Niece(es?)

We just got back from my hometown, visiting my baby sister, Jennifer, and her new daughter. Her name is Ava, and she is perfect. But most important, she came on time. See...my sister's first daughter, Hannah, came at 26 weeks. She is, like HER baby sister, perfect now, but as expected, she had problems for the first 6 weeks of life. My baby sister was forced to deal with life's tribulations, before, some might say, she was ready. While I think she was a very strong person to begin with, she proved the nay-sayers wrong, and kept her composure (with the help of her rock of a husband, I'm sure) and brought her little new one through her struggle and now enjoys the love of a beautiful, nutty, wild, willful (like her mom!), and healthy daughter. Her second pregnancy was without incident and the delivery was a breeze! No doubt, God figured she had proven her worthiness and was due a break this time around. My point is Jennifer proved herself, for the second time, that she is a woman who can, has, and will surpass everyone's expectations.

Which brings me to my next point....

I also received news recently about my other sister, Kerri, who is also my baby sister, just not by as much as Jennifer. Kerri called me and told me that she is also pregnant. My initial reaction was congratulations, but those congratulations came with feelings of concern. See...I knew instantly that this pregnancy was probably a surprise to Kerri and her brand new husband, David. To clarify...a little background on Kerri: Kerri was always my sister that endured a longer awkward stage than some, was excessively accident prone and has the scars to prove it (ask her about making candles with winebottles and sticking her head in the oven), and lived life to the fullest, sometimes to her detriment. Kerri recently graduated law school and is now in the middle of paying for it. She is at the same point I was, financially, when mine and Angie's night on the town involved bologna sandwiches in the living room of our 400 sqare foot apartment, in front of the t.v., watching a vhs we checked out from the library, which was walking distance down the street (This was fortunate, since we couldn't afford gas for her car, because we were paying for my car that didn't exist because I totaled it! ...whole 'nother story.)

Sorry for the digression, but you get the point, right? Kerri will be the first to tell you that she is not ready to have a baby. But as I told her, no one, and I mean NO ONE, is every truly ready to have a child! Angie and I thought, we were, because we planned out our budget, and talked about it alot. But when Delaney came, we found that we were sorely mistaken. Children bring with them trials that you cannot expect or plan for. It's kind of like BUD/S (SEAL training); in that BUD/S is so long and broad in scope that the training, or the instructors, will present everyone with at least one aspect that they have difficulty overcoming. No one gets out easy!

Again, another digression, so back to the point...

Kerri, as expected, cried for hours while she wrapped her brain around how she would deal with a child at this stage in her newly developing marriage to a great guy, who is as a matter of fact, standing on the cusp of a new career as a chef. Then as soon as they came to terms with this impending challenge and began to realize and accept the hardship and joy that having a child together would bring, they were told that the life inside her may be in jeopardy. For a couple of days, they must have experienced every emotion one could expect in their situation. Then they got the word that they were, in fact, pregnant and were definitely going to have a baby.

So now, my other sister is forced to deal with life's tribulation, before anyone thinks she is ready. (Every say, "Ah ha! He is coming to his point!") Though different in situation, Kerri will now have to face hardship just as great as Jennifer's, because the life of her child is at stake. Hannah's situation may have been more literally life threatening, but being responsible for your child's future is, ultimately, being responsible for their life. Just as Jennifer was forced to compose herself and be strong for her premature daughter, Kerri and David must now be strong and do whatever it takes to ensure their child has everything he/she needs to grow to realize his/her potential. And like Jennifer, Kerri will, I'm sure, need all the support and prayers that her baby sister received. I, for one, think she deserves it.

I have no doubt that Kerri will, like Jennifer, grow and mature beyond her years and make the sacrifices that any mother would make for the sake of her child. She will get through this, and enjoy the rewards of her hardship.....the love of a handsome/beautiful (but, probably awkward), wild, nutty, funny, strawberry blond child.