Auntie Katie

I wanted to make sure I didn't leave the month of April (yes people I know its mid-May as I write this) but on my blog I wanted to make sure I didn't leave the month of April without mentioning someone special to me who we call Auntie Katie.

Auntie Katie is one of those fairy godmothers that I hope every woman has on some level in their life. She came to me at birth when my mother needed a sure hand as she waivered in her confidence as a new mom. Auntie Katie was my first and only Nanny and someone who has been a constant in my life no matter where I lived or what has happened.

Now as an adult with my own children my appreciation for her is at an alltime high. You see Auntie Katie has cared for hundreds of people, be it children that she nannied since her twenties or the HIV victims she nursed in the eighties and nineties. She seems to care for everyone who crosses her path although I always feel the bond between her and I is more unique and special than most.

For whatever reason she was not able to be a natural mother herself but I'd like to believe its because she is a mom to so many most of all her little dog Lucky. She has now retired in Sarasota, Florida but of course she volunteers to take care of babies of unwed mothers who go to school.

She has the greatest sense of humor, a fabulous newcastle accent and one of the most infectious laughs you can imagine. She even resembles my own Mom and people have mistaken them before thinking just one had changed their hairstyle. I will say she's probably a bit more lenient than my Mom in some things but you wouldn't want to step out of line as she has the same no nonsense attitude expected of any upstanding British Nanny :)

Most recently my Mom needed a much needed vacation to England before she took on our three daughters full time. Without hesitation Auntie Katie made the sacrifice of her time to come all the way from Florida to stay with us and take care of our three girls. She bonded with each one so incredibly and I think on some level Sydney is still wondering where she is.

I am so grateful to have Auntie Katie in my life and this little blurb was to help remind her that. I keep this blog as a diary to my own children so that they will understand my emotions, our life's little trials and quandries but to also understand how much people like Auntie Katie mean to me.

Thoughts are one thing but sometimes I think writing them out or making sure you express them in some way is equally important. How will others know how you truly feel unless you tell them...make sure they listen or better yet read :)

I love you Auntie Katie, you really mean the world to me and if there is ever anything you need from me you know I am here for you.

Highly recommended...

Two nights away with just your husband to talk, sleep in, read, stay up late, heck even going to the local store is fun, put makeup on (completely), leave where you are staying fully dressed including accessories and hair done, enjoy time with friends, eat, drink and silently wonder what your kids are doing all the while being able to relax, appreciate them from a distance and even miss them a little by the time you head back to them:)

HIGHLY NOT RECOMMENDED:

Enjoy reading book club book in lounge chair by jacuzzi in overcast weather while you are actually burning to a crisp. The red hue of my skin is not my camera or the fact that I'm tipsy, its a burn people, an idiot burn at that. Fortunately it only hurt for a day and has pretty much already gone. Ay yi yi. The benefit of having so many children is you always leave the house prepared for just about anything.

I can't stop crying....

Okay I am at work and keep tearing up.... its the silliest thing. Sydney's blood tests came back beautiful just like her. We get to take her off of caffeine and put her onto rice cereal. The silliest thing in the world and yet I feel like my heart will burst with pride and happiness.

Of course I need to celebrate so I am off in search of a high chair and will pick up the rice cereal on my way home :)