CARA!

My cousin Jaimee after delivering 10 kids closed up shop. She tied up her organs and set about raising her little peeps as a full time mother, student, FBI informant, and a slew of other titles that put us all to shame. Somewhere in the midst of all of this, her organs betrayed her, or her doctor's surgical skills sucked, although her husband likes to believe it was his super sperm, but whatever she got knocked up. Her eldest was a teenager and her youngest was not far from double digits at the time.

After a few moments of sheer panic and depression, she pulled herself up by her boot straps (that's an Indiana term, but I've never seen her in boots though I have no doubt she would wear them like a cowgirl), sucked it up, and prepared to add to her brood. She calls it starting over in all of her social media, but I look at her and call it a blip on the radar as she is at pro at winging it when life throws her a curve ball.

Nolan was born perfect as all her children were, and I had the fortune to meet him before he turned one. Actually, I was with him when he turned one, and I only threw that part in to piss off Grandma who has never forgiven any of us for her missing his actual big day. (Thanks for sharing him, and all of them, Grandma! Love you. Thanks for reading my blog!) During the time I spent with the family, I worked hard at bonding with Nolan. First, because he smelled like a baby and had kissable cheeks and secondly, because I'm determined to not be forgotten in this family.

The major thing I worked on with Nolan besides swimming, not eating food off of the floor, going to his father for menial requests, and looking for adult supervision before leaping into a major body of water was having my name be his first word. Okay, he said "ball" already, but my name as his first declaration of family greatness. But I only had a week and it was a week with a lot of distractions like sand, ocean, and pools and so I've had to continuing my education via SnapChat video. Other than some videos of him with crazy animal filters and a lot of whining I have yet to hear my name.

Until the other night:

I'm keeping this on my phone so that when I'm down in the dumps I can turn to Nolan calling out for his favorite cousin Cara. Look at that face. OMG! My cousin and his wife sure do know how to make 'em.