I Love Being an Aunt

My family lives in NY- my parents, my sister and her family, my cousins. I get to see them a couple of times a year. When my sister had Sydney, I was concerned that she wouldn't know me. Little kids don't really have a concept of time; and to see someone just a couple days a year: well, it was frightening to me. I feared I would be a stranger to her, and not a big part of her life.

From the time Sydney was an infant, I have talked to her on the phone. My sister would put the phone next to her in the crib and I would talk to her, so she could hear my voice. I found a stuffed Tigger, which also is a picture frame. We had family pictures done when Sydney was 3 1/2 months old. I had a picture done of just Sydney and I; and we put that in the picture frame and put it in her room. My parents and my sister have done an incredible job telling Sydney about me. The result is that I have a terrific relationship with this adorable little girl.

My mom frequently tells me that Sydney talks about Aunt Amy. She said Syd will talk about me, and then she will say 'I love her so much!'. She looks at pictures of me and talks about Aunt Amy. It tugs at my heart to hear this. She doesn't talk to me so much on the phone anymore- she has to be in the mood. But she has this little play phone that she talks to me on all the time. She got it as a Christmas present at the Primeau family party last year, and she immediately sat down and called Aunt Amy. So it's ok that we don't talk on the real phone a lot, I know she talks to me on her phone and probably doesn't have anything else to say when I'm on the real phone. I just hope someday I'm not expected to remember our pretend conversations.

When it's getting close to one of my trips home, mom will talk to her. Sydney will tell everyone she sees that her Aunt Amy is coming on an airplane. Of course, when she sees me at first, she wants to have nothing to do with me, but she is getting better. It's only taking her a few minutes to warm up, rather than a few hours or even a day. And once she does warm up to me, she won't let me out of her sight.

Last week mom told her I will be home in the fall, and asked what she would like to do. Sydney told her "It doesn't matter as long as I have my Aunt Amy. I love her so much!" I cried when Mom told me that. I never would have imagined that such a little person could have such an incredible effect on me. I love her so much too! And I hope she will pass this onto her brother, and that my nephew will love me just as much as Sydney does. I also hope that we will continue to have a great relationship, even as this precious little one grows into an obnoxious teenager!