It was an early morning on a cold January day in 2011, my sister Nellie and I were trying out a new exercise class. We were both really out of shape and nearly died half way through. However, my sister had a harder time and by the end of class, she felt really nauseous. It was then that I had an inkling. A few days later, it was confirmed that my sister was pregnant!
A little back story: my sister and I have always had an amazingly strong bond. Even with a 10 year age gap, we couldn't be more alike. We always say the same things at the same time or finish each other sentences. Heck, we have the same voice that people still get confused and mistake us for one another, especially on the telephone. Our interests and life views run parallel and we have always been there for one another. We've been through a fair share of heartache and happiness that just continued to bring us closer together. She was my best friend. Even though we are now married and have "new" best friends, she will always be my first and there are just some things that only a sister would understand.
Fast forward to when I found out she was pregnant. I was ecstatic for her and my brother in-law. They went out of their way to include me every step of the way. Originally, they weren't going to find out the sex of the baby. But after some convincing (ok, so I bugged them every chance I got), they came up with a really neat idea. I was to accompany them to the ultrasound and I would have to guess, if I was right, the technician would confirm it (secretly). I went online studying ultrasounds for days and was confident I would get it right. And I did. My sister was having a girl! Yay! Another shopaholic in the making!
I went into planning mode with my brother in-law. I wanted one last selfish outing with my sister. So we planned a five day trip road trip unbeknownst to her at the time. About a month away from the trip, we sat her down and surprised her. And we had a trip of a our lives! Eating our way through Maine and Vermont in early June.
Then there was the baby shower. My sister's sister in-law and I went all out. And it all turned out great. Even people from my sister and brother in-law's past made it. It was so great to see their faces when they saw some old friends.
On September 19, 2011, a little girl named Nadia came into this world. I was there to witnesss it all happen. Happy 2nd Birthday, baby girl!
Picture taken right before our move (Nadia at 15 or 16 months?)
