Labor day held quite a few literal meanings for me this year.

#1. I had to go to a beauty pageant = labor of love. (more on this later)

#2. I had to ride the Metra which in turn meant that on my way home I got a car all to myself.

#3. About 2 hours before this picture was taken I found out I was officially going to be an aunt for the first time. My gorgeous sister (and her handsome hubby) decided it was about time to take the pressure off of little sister and her dashing fellow by blessing the Fowler (my side of the family) with a new addition. Let me tell you, the day everyone started finding out it was like a 180 from how things had been going. To show the type of “expectations of grandparenthood” my padres had this was a typical conversation that happened about 1 month before I got engaged:

Family friend: “So we are grandparents two times over, when are you guys going to be grandparents?”

My sweet motherofmylife: ” Oh, well, we don’t know. Mandi and Jer have been married for some time now and it doesn’t look like it’ll happen anytime soon.”

Family friend: “Well our daughter is Alyssa’s age and she’s already got two kids so it could happen.”

My loving, caring, no pressuring father: “Well that is true, she’s always loved kids. But M & J have been married a while, as has our other son and his wife.”

Family friend who doesn’t get the hint: “Well who do you think will be the first of your kids to give you a grand child?”

My hopeful mother and father, simultaneously, at the same time,with out any thought: “ALYSSA!”

I fainted. Then I awoke, smacked them both and screamed. Well…I just gave a loud “Guffa” and said ” Is there something I don’t know about because I’m not even engaged yet!”

Fast forward to November 2009:

Me: “Happy day off eating too much food and then farting a lot!”

Dad and the whole Fowler clan: ” Oh my, well hello, Alys!”

**Conversation that goes on normally for a while**

THEN:

The sweetest grandmother that ever did exist (until my mom became one the other day): So any new news for us sweetest grand daughter of my life?”

Me: “Um, no…no not really. Is there anything you are expecting to hear?”

The darling grandmother of my life: “Oh no, just wanting to see how you and Naph are doing…you know…” (Listen to the wink going on thru the phone)

My sweet, caring, not pressuring, father: “Oh Alys, no need. You two just take your time. No need to rush such high responsibility.”

NOW:

Tell me, when you get all this “love pressure” about making parents into grandparents and grandparents into great grandparents, and then all of a sudden it flips and you’re being told to “chill, take a pill…” wouldn’t that send up a red flag? Well…for most people it would but I’m blonde and didn’t get the hint until my sister told me she was with child two months later.

So that is the long winded story that lead to this:

#4. Previous conversation probably didn’t literally lead to this bundle of joy, but well…I’d like to say it had a part, even though it really didn’t, at all in any way.

#5. While on the Metra, I took pictures to keep me awake and catalog the moments when I was told I’d be an aunt. I had a thought that I’d write him a little letter and give him a picture of myself so that in 15 years he could really believe that he had a pretty aunt despite what may be in front of his face at the time.

I intentionally didn’t photoshop this so he could see the raw beauty…no I’m not vain…just sarcastic and well..this was the only good one out of like 30 pictures.

Still wondering if I’ll ever write him that letter BUT all this excitement did lead to the pinnacle of this story:

I fell asleep on the train.

When it was at my stop.

Which is the last stop on the line.

I was asleep for 20 minutes on this stop, the last stop of the train line, and had to walk through 4 cars until a conductor could open one of the doors for me.

I was slightly embarassed.

But, my reasoning is that, because my sister was in labor for 24 hours, I was sleep for her. We’re kindred spirits. Sympathy sleep is what I call it.

#6. This new grandmother is holding a new grandbaby and it’s a beautiful thing.

THE END