Bitter Sweet

I've been in Minnesota a week now, since my Mom called and told me that Amber's baby had just been diagnosed with Hydrocephalus.  I got the call around 3 pm, got on a plane by 8 pm and arrived in Minneapolis before midnight.  By the time I got here a second ultrasound had revealed a second more serious issue ... the baby had suffered a brain hemorrhage.  I think I'm over the shock.  I've shed some tears.  The future is unknown but not likely to be simple or positive ... at least not in the way we typically consider it.

But I'm enjoying my time here.  My sister is one of the coolest people I know.  My love for her borders on insanity, I think because she was born when I was 13 ... or maybe because of the close bond I had with her father (my stepdad Dan).  I'm trying to keep her fed and comfortable, giving leg and back massages, positioning pillows, getting water, running errands.  We're laughing about the usual stuff - her poor English (Spanish is now her 1st language - she frequently says things like "Diego is sleeping all the night ... Call him and see how much it is costing ...), Mom's gas, my neuroses, and Diego.  Diego is the sweet part.  At 26 months every day is exciting, new and happy.  He and I've been doing some serious bonding.  We play (with his balls, cars, blocks, bike), we've been for several walks (we look at trees, birds, and even saw the Easter Bunny - ON EASTER).  I give him his bath, brush his teeth with his SpongeBob toothbrush, then get him ready for bed.  He communicates in perfect English or Spanish as it suits him.  At bedtime it's "Dark" which means please put on my nightlight, then "Book" which means you can't leave me until you've read one to me, then "Agua" which must be placed strategically on the table by his door, then "Nike" which means Good Night.  More and more, even in the short time I've been here, he's creating two word sentences: Blue Bike, More Agua, More Ball, and TWO.  He loves TWO.  He can hold up TWO fingers, he can count (but everything after one is two).  Instead of Ready, Set, Go, it's "two, TWO, TWO!!"  Up or down the stairs is "2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2!)  Two words: Bitter Sweet