Mamma Mia!

Sometimes I think about how surreal moments in life can be. Example: the text I got this evening from my younger sister, Natalie, saying "I'm going to the hospital." Yes, I've known for the last seven months that she was going to be having a kid. But for some reason, it started to hit me: WHOA. My little sister is having a baby.

Keep in mind, this is the same girl who:

...we caught on video snitching the Thanksgiving pie before dinner when she was about 5 years old. And to cover up her transgression, she flitted about and did a little dance, pretending like everything was per usual.

...jumps at every opportunity to write the word "poo" or "poop" or some other synonym for fecal matter in any forum possible. My car windows really got it one night when it was cold and the defrost was taking awhile to warm up.

...put pink streaks in her hair when she saw that they did it on Gilmore Girls.

...took forever getting ready in the mornings in high school, causing me to yell "IT'S TIME TO LEAVE...NOW!!!" basically every morning.

...can talk her way out of any ticket a police officer may think about giving her.

And now? She's going to be a mom in a matter of hours. And I think she'll do a great job. Whenever she puts her mind to something, she rocks at it.

For instance:

...when she didn't make drumline in high school, she tried out for the colorguard and did that instead. And she was awesome. When the band marched in the Rose Bowl parade, she was the only one in the group who got a close-up on television.

...after working at Best Buy for awhile, she wanted to be on the Geek Squad. She listened and learned and made friends with those who could make this possible. (I think it's kind of awesome that this is ultimately how she found her husband!)

...she wanted to get her culinary arts certification, so she took the classes, (even made friends with the insufferable boys in the class!) and got that certificate. And now she teaches classes all over the place.

She's in labor right now. I do not envy the pain she will endure. I do not envy the nights of sleep she will be losing from this point henceforth. But I know she'll be a great mom.