Aubrey Leland

     I was reading a blog post about friendship when the text came.   The post was about how friends need to find the time to connect.  What better way than to spend hours in a hospital waiting for one of life's most amazing moments...the birth of a baby.   We have been waiting...and bugging...and texting...and wondering for days.  But she is finally here.  And she is perfect.
     When this group gets together (and we seem to as much as the universe will allow) we have a blast.  It is a funny and loud group.  We laugh.  We laugh a lot.  We cherish the things that matter...family comes as the top of the list.   I will speak for myself though...for what I believe to be true for all of us...that we are family even though we do not share the same blood.  We are a sisterhood that has seen decades together.   These bonds are strong and true.  We rush to each other when we need support.  We celebrate the beautiful.  We honor the lost.  We laugh.  We encourage.  We laugh some more. 
     Five perfect and brilliant and gorgeous babies later (yep, a little biased)...we have now all shared the moment of life with one another.   A hallway full of family... and us...the girls that created the bonds of sisters even without the genes that went along. 
     THIS time it was extra special.  It defied the odds of science.  It tightened the bonds of an amazing little family.  It gave a few girls who missed the first time around...a second chance.  It's not often in life you get that second chance...that you get to heal that wound.  When the big sister runs out to tell you that it's a girl...the emotions overwhelm the soul.  Minutes into a brand new sparkling little life and you can see the love that this family has for one another.  Real love.  Beautiful love.  I cried when I heard she came into the world.  I sobbed a bit when I saw her.  I did again as I hugged a proud Papa...the same cry that I had when I welcomed him into the family at the wedding just a short time ago.  This all happened at 1am.  It was not the last time that I cried.  Today my thoughts were full of a sweet little baby and the life that she has in front of her.  Tonight, I got to hold her.  Did I mention she was perfect?  I said hello and she responded with the most sweet little noise.  She is quite brilliant you know.  Dad is an expert at swaddling.   Big sis is rocking her title with grace and sweetness.  Mama is too amazing for words.  Am I crying again right now?  You betcha. 
     I can ramble on and on for hours about how proud I am of a woman that I am lucky to call friend.  I can continue for a few more hours about the man that is her partner.  I can swoon over the family that they have created.  Heck, even their dog is the coolest pooch muppet ever.  I could...but instead I will just say how much I love them all and am grateful for the gift of their friendship and the joy of their sisterhood.  Congratulations!!!  Little Aubrey, you are luckier than you will ever know!