I'm a great-aunt...

In a way that can only happen in families built in non-traditional ways. The older sister of Cousin It (girls' bio cousin who is mentioned here quite often) gave birth..unexpectedly Monday. How can you give birth unexpectedly to a full-term baby, you ask? Only Cousin It's older sister can accomplish this!

In late July she showed up here to talk to Beth. She told Beth she was pregnant but didn't want anyone to know. Beth, who has never been pregnant but has more sense than older cousin, told her she need to see a doctor and then decide what to do. Evidently, Older Cousin saw a general practitioner who confirmed the pregnancy but she never followed through with finding an OB. Cousin It found out her sister was pregnant just a few weeks ago. She took a day off work and took her sister to sign up for Medicaid and made an OB appointment for her. Based on the questions they asked Older Cousin, the baby would be due in February. That appointment was scheduled for yesterday. Yes, the baby was born Monday. She said she started hurting really bad and they took her to the hospital. Hospital announces she is in labor. They do some quick tests and measurements and decide that she's 36 weeks pregnant and they are going to let her deliver. She has some problems with delivery and ends up having a c-section and then spends several hours in ICU.

We went last night to see the baby. She was 5 pounds, 13 ounces and 19 inches long. And, even I have to admit, she's beautiful! (not what I was expecting!) They didn't name her for over 24 hours. I got a text this morning, telling me she is now "Alicia." YAY...a normal name with traditional spelling!

I guess since I've told you all this, I need to finish off with the best part of the story. Older Cousin lives with her boyfriend, who is the father of this baby. They live in a trailer with his 3 children and.....(wait for it.....it's the BEST part............) and, and HIS WIFE!!! How crazy can it get? So, when Older Cousin and Baby Alicia come home from the hospital, it will be the most bizarre version of yours, mine, and ours ever dreamed up. The kids' father and Older Cousin share a bedroom, the kids have bedrooms, and the wife sleeps on the couch! I swear they should make a reality show about this family. It'll have to air on CMT perhaps right before or after My Big Redneck Wedding?

And, in the middle of all the wackiness, sits Cousin It. She's obviously the most normal member of her little family. She got great grades in school. She's kind, caring, and responsible. She's already supporting her father, who won't work. Now, no doubt, she'll be spending a lot of her money on her new niece. I hate it for her. She spends almost every waking moment in college classes or at work. No one seems to appreciate her but me. I think she's awesome!

I did have one of those surreal "this is my family" moments at the hospital last night. There we were, all in the room: Me, Alli, Elvis, Cousin It, Older Cousin, the cousins' father, the cousins' aunt, and the baby's father. Both the cousins' aunt and father hugged me when we got there. The aunt tends to be on the phone a lot - so much that the family nicknamed her "Ma Bell." I've heard the story for years now and had to laugh with the others when the aunt was on the phone and the immediately clicked over to take another call. I was in on one of their inside jokes. I heard the aunt on the phone telling her daughter who all was there. Several times she referred to me as "Alli's mom." This aunt is the sister of my girls' bio father and yet she is able to transfer me into the role of their mother. Cousin It readily refers to me as her aunt. When the girls became part of my family, I became part of theirs. I forget that sometimes but last night at the hospital was a shining example. We stayed quite a while and I enjoyed it all. A few years ago, I'd have been so uncomfortable in that situation but last night it just felt right. Families aren't perfect. Not all families fit in some traditional mold. They can come in all shapes and sizes and vary widely in relationships. You accept each member, warts and all, and appreciate the uniqueness each one brings. Maybe sometimes, just sometimes, you can pick your family?