Auntie Jessie back from Georgia

Sorry about being MIA for so long. My sister had baby number 2 recently and I was fulfilling my auntie duties down in good 'ole ATL. What are the duties of an auntie, you ask? Well, there are many things that an aunt can do, even when the rest of the family is there to help.

For child number 1, it consisted of doing whatever my sister or brother-in-law asked of me (within reason). As a non-driver, that meant that I couldn't pop out to the store from her suburban home. However, we filled the hours with playtime, walks, feeding, reading, and my first attempts at changing diapers. Needless to say, the diaper part was not my favorite. Kids just don't stay still. Now changing her stuffed rabbit, hop-hop, that was a breeze.

As for the newborn child number 2, lot of it went like this "hold him, give him back, hold him, give him back" or "get me that pillow/bottle/bra/water/meds/blanket." At least I had a little breast-feeding advise to dispense from my countless hours of Internet perusing and message-board eavesdropping on helpful mothers. I hope that I remember the same advice if my time ever comes. Eek! My time?

This was the first time I saw my sister so soon after giving birth and boy did she impress me. Uncomfortable and in some pain, she still had a smile on her face and a lot of patience for the new arrival. He had some scary moments adjusting to life outside of the womb, like when he turned blue because his little heart needed a few more hours in order to close up a hole. Even my sister had to readjust to such a dependent and vulnerable child once again. At least, that was what she told me. Does everyone marvel at the size of tiny newborn? Even my undersized hands were able to safely hold him. I suppose some mothers would be happier if they came out even smaller but biology has its reasons...

Other Climates

I had forgotten. It had been so long since I felt the warm sun on my face that I could kiss the sky with my now unchapped lips. This is divine. Atlanta at 50 degrees is lovely and at 68 degrees it is lovelier. In case you are wondering why I am mentioning any of this, I am taking a week off from the winter to spend some time in sunny Georgia where my sister's family now lives.

The trip down here wasn't easy although it is never easy to get out of NYC. Like a black whole, its concentrated mass and energy and won't let anything or anyone escape. If you tried to take the Holland Tunnel on a Saturday you would know what I mean. But it probably isn't just the traffic or the long and winding subway-train-monorail ride to Newark that deters New Yorkers from a great escape. It is something intangible and mysterious and etched into our characters: addiction to deli coffee.

Our flight was delayed due to a few tornadoes that ripped through the southern states. But that didn't scare us. Well, who am I kidding. It was a frightening day to fly and I kept imagining that we would end up in Oz. The television at LaGuardia airport was turned down too low to hear and apparently none of the employees ever discovered closed-captions so we couldn't figure out why CNN kept flashing the word Katrina. Everyone in broadcast news is just itching for another disaster. At least they didn't drag Ms. Spears into news about the weather.

Still, we made it safe and sound and guess what? The suburbs of Atlanta aren't so different from the suburbs up north. They do have a few differences like the waffle house chain restaurant, lots of bbq eateries, and politeness. It is nice to get a dose of southern hospitality. Yes ma'am. New Yorkers are great, don't get me wrong, and we have plenty of reasons to approach strangers with caution. When we share a laugh, it is a hearty one. When we converse, we get deep into the meat of an issue. And the climate down here--I'll tell you what! But I'm still a Brooklyn girl and I'll put up with it as long as it puts up with me.