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I went over to Shanon's last night to babysit Jack for a couple hours.  He is two months old now and he's starting to develop a bit of personality.  He's really precious -- his eyes and face are getting so expressive, and he smiles at me a lot, especially when he farts.  Of course, this melts my heart.  I love that little man.

I'm really thankful that I get to be so involved with him, and witness every step of his development.  I'm going to be someone who's always been in his life -- I wish I had that with my nieces, but I just don't see enough of them to be that kind of fixture.  I love them and I know they love me, but we don't know each other as well as closer family, you know?  I'm glad I will have that with Jack.  And as adorable as my nieces are right now, I also really look forward to them getting older so we can bond in more meaningful ways without having to be in the same room.  

Do not be confused, friends.  All my gushing about nieces and nephews should not be taken as a sign that my biological clock is taking over my brain.  I still firmly maintain that I will never be a mother.  But being an aunt is probably my favorite thing in the world.

Rachel is due on 2/21, but she's really hopeful that the baby will come on 2/16, which is her mother's birthday.  That's a little over a week from today, holy sparkles!  My cousin Laura is due to have her baby girl just a few days after that, too.  It's a Massie invasion!  I fly to New York on 2/29, and I cannot wait to see all my beloveds in that city.  I was thinking about this a little bit this morning -- some of my very best friends in the world live in Brooklyn.  They're not family or former classmates or neighbors...they're basically people I met at a concert.  Falcon Ridge is, of course, so much more than that, but really, how amazing is it to have forged such incredible relationships with people I only met by the chanciest of chances?  Lots of people feel just as strongly about EFO or Girlyman or the Decemberists as I do, but that doesn't bring us together in any way, beyond maybe putting us in the same room for a concert.  And Falcon Ridge itself is just four days a year, yet it's one of the most defining things in my life.  I'm just taking a moment to reflect on that, and all the joy and love that it's brought to me, and I am a happy girl.

Things are good.