Today is my youngest nephew's first birthday. I cannot believe it has been a whole year since we welcomed Mateo Luis into the world. And Oh what a better world it is with him in it! He has already learned to walk, make a mess of things and get anything he could possibly want from his Aunt Julia. Mateo, your Aunt Julia loves you so so much and can't wait to see what is in store for you on your next trip around the sun.
I really think being an aunt is the best and I have very solid reasons for my beliefs. First, I don't have to be a disciplinarian. One of my favorite memories of my older nephew, Diego, illustrates this point. One day at breakfast I was sitting with my nephew, his mom (my sister, Anna) and his Aunt Emily (my other sister). Diego was probably two at the time and was beginning to have some awareness of right and wrong. And he was wearing those little footie pajamas, that are so cute it should be a crime. As we were sitting there enjoying our breakfast, we would occasionally see a little adorable foot creep up and place itself on the table. Anna would look at Diego and say very sternly (but kindly, my sister is a great mom!) "No Feet on the table Diego", while Aunt Emily and Aunt Julia would erupt in pearls of laughter. A few minutes later, very slyly, someone would once again sneak their foot up on the table resulting in a fairly similar, if not heightened response from his beloved aunts. Thus, young Diego found himself at a crossroads. Did he try to please his mother and take the less fun route? Or did he continue to disobey his mama and as a result earn the attention of his mischievous aunts? Of course he chose the second of the two and of course we continued to encourage it. Oh what fun!
Since becoming an aunt 5 years ago, I have learned to play silly games like "plop down on the inflatable mattress and put your feet in the air" (who knows why that was fun but we played it for a really long time).
I have saved messages on my phone for years because I know that this is the only way I will be able to hear certain little ones (who now are very grown up and can say "Aunt Julia") call me "Ju-wa". I have increased my knowledge of Hot Wheel Cars extensively. I have gotten up early on Christmas morning (even though I thought at some point I would be old enough to sleep in). I have sung silly songs, danced silly dances and answered unending questions. And I have wondered what I talked about, laughed at, and filled my life with before my two nephews filled a very special place in my heart. So Mateo, even though we have only just gotten to know each other, we have a lot of living to do together Bud! And you can always count on your Aunt Julia to think you are funny, to never get you in trouble and to love you with her whole heart!
