I'm a Great Aunt!
My oldest niece had her first baby. The most beautiful little girl - Natalia Ann - came into this crazy world so innocent - so small - on October 5, 2011 - ironically the same day as Steve Jobs (yes, that Steve Jobs of Apple genius) died.
This new little being entered the world to a loving mother and father - both extremely smart - with lots of education and talent. Natalia comes into our family with a melting pot of relatives. Her father is Polish - a ranked tennis player and head tennis coach at Purdue at 6 foot 7 with parents and family living in Poland. Her maternal Great G'ma is from Germany. On the Solomon side - her paternal Great Great G'pa
and Great Great G'ma came to America from Jewish Russia escaping the Czar and pogroms - her maternal Great Great G'pa from Jewish Poland. She will be able to trace her family back several generations and have a beautiful patchwork quilt of history to explore when she is ready, with photos I have gathered over the years. Born into the age of technology, she will read in history books about vinyl records, audio tapes, land line dial phones, computers and days before email, texting, smart phones, Facebook, Twitter and digital photography.
The excitement of waiting for her to be born and then seeing her photos on my computer, made me realize that this little girl has already changed my life. Since I have no children and don't have friends who have children, I'm not used to talking about children or things that go along with having them. So I wasn't anticipating the feelings and love that I have for this new little girl. Since my two oldest nieces were born in other countries and my youngest on the other side of the US, I wasn't around to be a part of their lives when they were born. But for some reason, I eagerly awaited Natalia's birth. I wept when my niece sent me an email with the sonogram and beamed with pride at the big-belly photo of the various stages of her pregnancy. I wasn't prepared for the joy I felt when I saw on Facebook that this amazing little girl had entered the world. She has softened my heart. I want her life to be amazing and free from pain and for her to have big dreams that she sees come true. I want her to be healthy and happy and loved and fulfilled. I want her to make a difference in this world and to feel a connection to all the beauty there is to see.
Since her birth - even though I haven't met her in person yet - I feel like I need to be there for her. To be that Great Aunt that my Aunt Anne was for me.
The one who lends an ear without judgment - creates a place to laugh - and learn and talk. I think of my dear Aunt Anne (94) who passed away on July 16, 2011 and wanted to meet Natalia so much. I want to be all the things she was to me for Natalia. This baby has already made me stop by the children's clothing department for the first time and want to buy everything in the store for her. But mostly I want to be a better person for Natalia. I want to be the best person I can be, reaching my full potential using my artistic and other gifts to be an example for her. How did this happen? Where did all these feelings come from when I never thought about her coming into the world much before she was born? I truly believe she's a gift from G-d and I am truly blessed to get to know her as she grows and blossoms into a young girl and young woman. And I can truly say I can't wait! Welcome to the family and the world, Natalia Ann.
May your adventure here be filled with many blessings.
