Another niece, another birthday. Caroline turns 11 today. (She's the one in front wearing green.) Caroline was born exactly one week after Steven and I started dating. He must have really liked me already because I managed to drag him to the hospital with me to see my niece. He met my entire family that day.
People who know me in real life know that I'm not much of a baby person. I don't hate babies or anything; I'm just not someone who particularly wants to hold them. Caroline was the first baby I'd ever really held. I remember feeling so surprised at how soft and warm she was and how comfortable it actually was to hold a baby. And I swear, that kid and I bonded right there. (Nevermind that she was asleep through that entire first meeting.)
Caroline and I always had a close bond. In fact, when she was a toddler, she didn't even want to acknowledge that Uncle Steven existed; I was hers, and she didn't like having to share me with him!
She and I share a love of reading, so I really enjoy recommending books to her or sending them to her. One of the major disadvantages of having her halfway across the world now (apart from the whole physical separation thing and the fact that I miss her like crazy) is that I don't get to share my book collection with her. I'd always figured that my bookshelves would be her personal lending library, but that's hard to do when an entire ocean separates us. As always, I wish I could be there with her for her birthday celebration. Instead, a phone call and a blog entry will have to suffice. Happy Birthday!
No comments:
Post a Comment