Nine Pounds, Six Ounces, Too Many Miles
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I have a brand new nephew! Yes, that’s right. Sister N welcomed her third child and first son Friday night and we couldn’t be more thrilled. Her little dude made his debut two days after his due date and weighed in at a solid nine pounds, six ounces. My superstar sister survived it all and she and her family are settling in at home as a family of five.
As I mentioned in a recent post, Sister N and her family live in Chicago and the distance has been difficult, particularly during her pregnancy. And now. Her boy is here. And all I want to do is give her a hug. And see her new addition. Alas, there are many miles separating us. In an ideal world, I would waste zero time hopping on a plane. When she went into labor with her first daughter a little over four years ago, I did just that. I heard that she was headed for the hospital and I booked a flight. I remember waiting at my gate when her husband texted to announce that it was a girl. I arrived in her hospital room mere hours after she became a mom.
But things are different now. I have two little girls of my own and a sea of obligations. As much as I would like to, I cannot just go.
So, tethered to the intricacies of my good life, I must wait a bit. Until I can sneak away and celebrate with my sister. Soon. I hope so at least.
The picture above? No, it’s not Chickie. (No, that’s not his name, but what they called him in utero.) I wish I could share a photo with you and tell you his name because he is a cute little (okay, not-so-little) guy and his name is nothing short of amazing. These are not my details to pass along, so I won’t. But I will tell you one thing I’m thankful for in the wonderful wake of my sister’s welcoming new life: Technology.
Technology?
Yes, technology. If he were around, Dad, a lovable Luddite, would not be proud. He would prefer that I wax poetic about Daddy Darwin and the majesty of evolution and genetic mystery. And I will do that another day. But today, I am thankful for technology.
Because of technology – cell phones, email, texting and Facebook in particular – I felt like I was part of Chickie’s arrival. On Friday night, Husband, the girls, and I met Mom, Sister I and her fam for an early dinner at our favorite neighborhood haunt. It was there that I got the call from Sister N. They were headed to the hospital. Her contractions were strong. Just a few hours later, I got a text that I had a new nephew. Thanks to various Facebook updates in the middle of the night, I knew that Chickie was a big guy. I was able to see his little face, clear as day on the tiny screen of my phone. This kid is only a few days old and I have already seen ten videos of him. Crying. Yawning. Displaying squishy cheeks. Being a superhero. Meeting his sisters. His grandmother. The list goes on.
So, yes. Times have changed. Technology is affecting the way we experience life and the world.
But today I am so thankful for that. I am thankful for the ability to feel a little bit closer when in reality I am so far away. I am thankful that until I am able to hop that plane, I will have my sweet little Chickie fixes.
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Please join me in congratulating Sister N and her family on the arrival of her baby boy. How do you feel about the ever-expanding role of technology in our world? Are you able to see the positive side of the ubiquity of technology like I am?
Congratulations to Sister N and her family! I admire and appreciate these brave souls bringing a third child into the world – and making it seem that much more doable for moms of two like me…oh, and like you.
As far as technology goes, I wrote a slightly different spin on it this morning, but in the examples you gave – yes, absolutely, technology helps us keep tabs on our distant friends and family. Just yesterday my boys chatted (or babbled, as the case may be with TB) with their grandmother and then their aunt via Skype. And in a world of distance and impossible schedules, I would certainly take video and digital photos over nothing.
Congratulations to Sister N and family!
As for technology, I hope that it continues to impact our lives positively. The negative impacts sometimes so outweigh the positive that it worries me.
Congratulations and I’m glad all is well. I also hope you’re not too lost in that sea of obligations. You got a compass or decent chart?
Congrats to sister N and to you, Auntie Aidan! I know little Chickie will think his Auntie rocks!
congrats!! The arrival of a healthy happy baby is always a blessing…I hope you get to see your new nephew soon.
and thank God for that technology because since I’m so far away from my family we rely on it so much too! congrats on the baby, auntie!
Congratulations on the new babe!
I met my husband online (though we sometimes still say it was through you!), Skype with my family almost every day, and spend my free time on Facebook to stay in contact with faraway friends. I can’t imagine it any other way.
CONGRATS!!!! hope mama and chickie are doing well. jackson was 9 lb 6 oz as well. oy!!!
technology has saved my constant ache for my parents. i owe what bit of sanity i have left to skype.
congrats auntie aidan.
As someone who has happy hour via Skype with my sister in California I am also incredibly grateful for technology. And in a way, it is all part of evolution, no?
Congrats to you and your family on the new addition!
Congratulations to Sister N, Chickie, and the rest of the family!
Technology is such a blessing in situations like these. We do not live in the same city as any of our family. But e-mails, texts, YouTube, and our private family blog have lessened the sting of the distance. I often think about how brutal such distance must have been, even a generation ago, and am quite grateful to live in a world of broadband and all its accompanying gadgets.
I hope you find yourself on a flight to Chicago soon!
Aw! Sweet baby Chickie!!!
Congratulations to Sister N and to you Auntie A!!
Congrats!!!
Technology is the only reason I can exist on a different continent to my family. Alone, with a computer screen or with my iPhone, I’m always a moment away from people I love.
To the new wee boy. And to many life-enhancing gadgets.
At the risk of sounding pushy (oh well I’ll take the risk), I say call the airlines and jump on a plane. We all travel for funerals, travel for the celebrations too. I am a slave to technology but you can’t smell that baby in a video and they grow very fast, as you well know. Just a comment, file it where you’d like. And Congrats of course!!
A big CONGRATS! Nothing quite so wonderful as a brand new healthy baby! Life weighs us down with our own joys (children), making more spontaneous travel problematic – even to share celebrations. But aren’t we fortunate to have the technology to share in ways we couldn’t have imagined even ten years ago?
You’ll get there – as soon as you can! And in the meantime, a beautiful new nephew!
Congrats! I have two little nephews I have yet to meet (I will this summer). Even though I am miles and time zones away, I love that I still am able to have a closeness with my siblings and extended family. Thanks technology!
Congratulations to you and the whole family!
I’m totally with you on technology … it makes it possible to stay close with loved ones when we’re away, and keep friends that have scattered across the country or globe (and even petition a couch to sleep on when we happen to be in that corner of the world).
Unfortunately I find, though, that this sense we get of being so connected makes it easier to fall out of touch with people when you can’t keep up technologically for whatever reason. We forget to give people that call every once in a while, because we feel like we’re all always caught up on eachothers’ lives.
It can sort of go both ways… You must love seeing those videos, but it isn’t a replacement for the real thing…. but hopefully you will get to that soon!
Congratulations on the birth of your new nephew! Here is hoping not a lot of time goes by, before you get to hold the wonderful bundle in your arms. (Hugs)Indigo
Happy, happy day! Congratulations to the whole brood!
Happy Birthday, Chickie, and congratulations Sister N!
And beautiful, as always, Auntie Aidan!
I always say that I loathe technology, but I’m the first to jump on whatever I need to be on to “see” or “talk to” someone I love and can’t be with. Frankly, thanks to e-mails lately from amazing people like you, I’ve survived. Ya know, I’m going to stop saying I loathe technology, I do believe.
Congratulations to your whole family!!
Oh the marvels of technology… I’m so thankful for them, with family far away. It really makes all the difference.
Congratulations Sister N!! That is so exciting. It is sad to be far away but at least you have the pictures and videos until you can see them in person – it definitely helps a ton!
Congratulations! New babies are always so exciting!
Oh, technology. I will always maintain that Skype and video chats made my long-distance relationship last year. Being able to *see* my boyfriend almost every day made things so much easier. Yet I realized towards the end, even though we’d talked, at first, about sending actual letter from time to time, that never really happened. I can’t go to a special little box or something 50 years from now and pick up old AIM chats and Skype convos.
So, technology = useful, wonderful when used properly. But I think it’s a good thing to stop and remember that many, many times, it’s still only a substitute.
Congratulations! I have a love-hate relationship with technology. I can totally see how this is a definite positive of its uses! Hope you get to see her and Chickie reallllll soon!
That’s absolutely the greatest part of technology, Aidan! That I can sit next to my nearly 80-year-old mother on her couch and listen to her lament the fact that she hasn’t seen pictures of her brother’s grandchildren ever. I pull out my BlackBerry, go to my Aunt’s Facebook page, pull up the pictures and in a couple minutes there they are. She probably won’t ever be able to do this but I love that I can pull out this magic for her.
Mazel Tov on your beautiful, new nephew! Please give your sister a virtual hug for me. My newest niece was born this past September and I’m still kvelling over her. (I’ve never used so many Jewish words in one paragraph since my Bat Mitzvah a million years ago.)
And, let’s talk soon and see if we can’t get together when I’m in NYC next week!