Aunties rock

You know how being a mum is pretty cool? (You know. Most of the time, anyway. When you don't have someone else's vomit in your knickers. Obviously.)

I've decided that being an aunty rocks the cazbah.

Yesterday was Uncle Whale's birthday. (Or Wuncle, as the Mouse calls him - looooong story. Never mind.) Uncle Whale is a bit of a celebrity in our house. Not only is he a bit funny, but he is baby Asha's Daddy. Which automatically makes him spesh.

I probably should explain something here, given that I haven't spoken to you for a while. (Yes, I'm rude. Can we move on?) I've been busy working way too many jobs. And employing lawyers. Which I shall explain later, when I feel like being cross. Ok?

Anyway, what you need to understand is that baby Asha is worshipped by her cousins, and when Aunty Miffy is spied by the Mouse, Maisie doesn't bother with greeting Miffy anymore. It's simply, "Dasha?" The kids still love Aunty Miffy and Uncle Whale, as they always have, only now it's mainly because they made Asha, and usually have her somewhere nearby. And let's face it, Asha is gorgeous. Quite seriously, the child is edible. You can't blame my kids for recognising quality.

Anyway, our birthday present to Whale was a night out for dinner with Miffy, which meant that the kids and I looked after Dasha. Given that our Daddy would also be out, I made sure I was more organised than usual (read: the kids were actually fed and pyjama-ed by 6pm. I know!) so that I would be able to look after my little brood of four.

So my kids had their fill of kissing, cuddling, and basically manhandling poor old Ash and went off to bed. Asha had a bit of a cry and went off to sleep in my arms, leaving me to ponder.

Of course, I had the obligatory two-minute fantasy that it was my own baby in my arms, thus fulfilling my fantasy of having four babies (medically impossible (unless I had a uterine transplant...and a body transplant...hmmm), and also maritally impossible!!) But then I relaxed into the cuddle, and started thinking about how gorgeous it was to snuggle my niece all to myself.

Here is a baby girl whom I can love unconditionally, just like my own children. Here is a snuggly little munchkin who can give me my baby fix while I am not newborn-sleep-deprived, or leaking breastmilk, or dealing with colic. Here is sweet little Asha, whose crying does not bother me because I have not been listening to it for hours (or days...), whose warm roundness I can hold without worrying about how long she will sleep, whose tiny fingers and long eyelashes I can sit and study because I know how quickly she will grow into a big girl.

Being an aunty is wonderful. I am so excited about being a part of this little girl's life as she grows and learns. It's a really nice feeling, being the fresh pair of arms, rather than the tired and over-it Mummy (not that my sister is the over-it Mummy, but all new mums are exhausted. That's just reality). I love the fact that between my sister and I, our family has a gang of four who will (hopefully) grow up as a unit. My kids have always gone to their adored Aunty Miffy - I can only hope that Ashie will feel the same way about me.

And after a few hours of having my arms full of sweetly sleeping Asha, her Mummy and Daddy came to pick her up, full-to-bursting of yummy Thai food and the good cheer that comes to new parents after a rare night out. I was pretty chuffed that I delivered a happy baby back to her parents after my first night of aunty-duty (no mishaps here, thank you very much!)

And when this aunty had been in bed for an hour or so, my mobile chirruped with a message from another aunty. A brand-spanking-new aunty.

Does anyone remember me talking about Phoebalina's beloved Aunty Cake? Gertrude's big sister? Well, it would seem that the very clever Aunty Cake became a mummy for the first time yesterday, and a super-excited Aunty Gertrude was letting me know! So I would like to say welcome to the world, little Leo. Your mummy brought you into the world at 5.15am on the 21st of March, 2012 in St. Louis, Illinois. We have seen photos of your beautiful little face already, and I know your Aunty Gertrude is bursting to hold you. But for now, she can just get her backside down here from dirty old Queensland and cuddle Dasha instead. Because after all, we're aunties together now, aren't we?? Hooray for aunties!!