Sisterly Visit

My sister is visiting us this weekend.

Perhaps that's not big news when family or a relative comes to town. But with my sister, it's special because of what she brings and what she has left behind.

Let me explain: My sister has a husband and three children, ages 9 to 15. She loves them dearly and supports them entirely. You won't find her checking out on them. She is locked in to their needs and their wants, their joys and their sorrows, their victories and their losses. She knows everything that is going in her household, because she is involved in everything that goes on in her household. Not in a micromanager kind of way, but in an "in the know" kind of way.

So, for her to willingly leave her family behind to see us and our two children is indeed something special. A little sacrifice on her part, to strengthen the bonds between our families. She's getting something in return: Lots of cuddly time with baby Isaiah, who's never met a face he won't smile at. And Nathaniel, of course, who within five minutes had warmed up to his aunt and begged her incessantly to join him in everything he would do.

My sister brings a lot of love and a healthy dose of parenting perspective, too. As far as parenting goes, she's the veteran, while I'm the neophyte. Michelle complains that I listen to my sister more intently for parenting tips than I do to her. I hope that's not the case, or the vibe I'm giving off, but maybe it's subconsciously acknowledging the wealth of wisdom that my sister has.

Take this, for an example: We've been giving Isaiah some antibiotics to treat an ear infection. We use an oral syringe to give him his medicine. Every time I stick the syringe in his mouth and plunge the stopper to deliver the medicine, some of the liquid shoots out of his mouth or dribbles out the side. It all means that Isaiah isn't getting the full dose. My sister watched me do this, and told me that if I stick the dropper in the far reaches of his cheek and dispense the medicine, he will involuntarily swallow. She was right. It worked perfectly. Not a drop of the pink stuff oozed out. I excitedly showed Michelle what I had learned; she looked at me and with a hint of exasperation said, "That's what I've been telling you." Oops. I honestly didn't remember that she had.

I need to come up with a way to make me think that whatever Michelle is saying is coming from my sister in the parenting stuff. Maybe that seems weird. I don't know. What I do know is it's a joy that my sister is here, little sacrifice at all. We thank her and her family for it.