Happy Birthday, Jackson!

My nephew turns one today. I’m super excited, because he is awesome.

But I’m also bummed because I’m not home to celebrate him. Just about the only crappy thing about being in Trondheim is that I’m so far away from the people I love.  Jack and my cousin’s daughter, Cadence, are the two latest additions to our family, and the first of the “next generation.” I got to babysit them both a lot before I moved to Norway so it’s hard to be away from them, but I’m thankful for the quality time we’ve had together. 

One year ago!

I hope I see him again before he can read on his own

It’s really exciting to have little ones running around. I was never much into babies, except when they were related to me. My foray into babysitting began when I was underemployed after college and my relatives starting having children. When you spend a lot of time with someone you start to get attached, you know? I love Jack and Cadence dearly and even though they’re still pretty young, I genuinely miss them. If I have any regrets at all about moving to Norway for two years, it’s that I’m not spending this time with them or the rest of my family. It’d be great if there were a way for me to live here yet be close enough to home to babysit.

I got to skype with my brother’s family recently, and it was a thrill to see Jack in action all over the house. I know he’ll be walking and talking soon, so it's special to see him before he progresses too much more. I’m pretty sure I made him laugh and smile a few times too, so hopefully that means he hasn’t totally forgotten about me. I’ve been worried that the little ones won’t know who I am when I come back home, but I think they have better memory than I give them credit for. A few weeks ago my cousin told me that Cadence says my name when she recognizes me in pictures, which made me really happy.

Both Jack and Cadence have been huge blessings in my life so far. They bring everyone a lot of joy, and it’s fun to see how they impact the family dynamic. One of the coolest things, I think, is how they’ve helped bring people closer together without even knowing it. I know I’m closer to my cousin and my brother because we’ve spent more time together since their kids were born. I’m excited to watch Cadence and Jack grow, and be a part of their lives again hopefully soon.

One last picture... I stole this from Chelsea’s blog because I really like it. Hanging out at my going-away party with two of my favorites (four, if you count Dodo and Gib :) See how unimpressed Cadence is as she delicately holds the cookie just out of Jack’s straining reach:

Can't wait to hold them again!