We used to joke that she wouldn't have made it out the door (literally) without me, and it was kind of true. My anal retentive tendencies, combined with a disturbing recurring dream in which I missed the school bus led me to take ridiculous measures: I'd find her uniform sweater, grab her some lunch money, and lay out her shoes on the stairs, so she could step in them as she ran out the front door, often as the bus was rounding the corner.

I, of course, had been prepped and ready for some time, standing watch near the front door ready to call out "BUS!" the second it appeared on the horizon, a quarter mile away.

But tonight, my sister, who didn't arrive in the world until ten minutes after I had, is somebody's mother.

I am thrilled, amazed, excited, and truly happy for her. But also a bit bewildered as to how this all happened so quickly.

I was a little surprised and impressed when she went to college and managed not only to make it to her classes without me, but also to go on living her life. She graduated, got two dogs, a husband, a classroom full of students, and now, a baby.

I know that we have different lives now. I know that she is now a very grown up, responsible person, and that she'll be a wonderful mother (somehow, even when I was screaming at her to PLEASE HURRY UP AND GET DRESSED, I knew that one day, she'd be a good mother). And yet, I still can only marvel as to how the girl I shared everything with for the first 18 years of our lives now has part of her walking around outside her body in the form a different person.

Congratulations to Liz, Dave and Baby DJ, my new favorite nephew!

(Gratuitous pictures to follow just as soon as I can make it home this weekend to meet the newest family member of mine.)