be a better aunt

Mariza (the oldest) has called me at least 3 or 4 times in the last 6 months. Unfortunately I’ve only been around to answer one of the calls. But the voicemails put a huge smile on my face. :)))))

I had my neice over to spend the night and even though it made me very anxious to have all 3 little girls sleep in one room (I had visions of kids awake all night!), they did really well. Yeah for me!

Mariza called and left me a voicemail message on my phone for my birthday. Yay!!

It’s amazing to me how easily the girls enter my thoughts. Any time I see a postcard stand I immediately go browse the stack and buy the cute ones to mail to the girls. Whenever I am in a bookstore I end up wandering to the childrens section and have already collected a few on my shelf that are “birthday-presents-in-waiting”. When I review childrens books I pause and think, “does this book carry a message I want my girls to learn?” Will this inspire, empower, and nurish them?

I’ve started calling the monthly postcards my propaganda campaign. The way I see it, if I lay the groundwork correctly now, by the time they are old enough to travel by themselves they will be really excited to come out and visit me. I think that my brothers will be somewhat weary to send the girls galavanting around with me, but I’m definitely going to push this issue because I feel strongly that it’s important. Then I can take them on vacations and trips around California and the world. I’ve got a high motivation to expose them to the world that I never knew as a little girl.

I have one nephew and two neices and I love them all so much! Two more on the way, too! Need to call them on the phone, send cards and gifts and visit them more often.

Mailed them today…(again a book for each girl) and they should arrive before Christmas. I bought the most beautiful wrapping paper, with each different for each girl.

It is so important to me that they know I love them and think about them.

But doing this for them, when it’s really not that hard, brings up a lot of resentment about my extended family. None of them bothered to maintain or really to even establish a relationship with me. It also brings up resentment against my immediate family, particularly my oldest brother.

Ughh…family issues suck.

I mailed her present (a book) today…I hope the Christmas season doesn’t slow it down and it arrives by December 13.

I have been consistently sending post cards to my nieces every month for almost a year now! Taylor’s birthday is coming up (December 13) and I already bought the book I will send her. I actually bought some for Kaylee & Mariza too (couldn’t help it, they were so cute!), since Christmas is coming soon anyhow.

It’s hard to maintain more personal contact than that since I’m not in contact with anyone else in the family. This means that I can’t really make phone calls. But there is a part of me that likes establishing my relationship to the girls independent of their parents (my brothers).

I just hope that when they are older they can appreciate the efforts that I have been making instead of paying attention to the things that I did not/could not.

Sent another round of post cards to the girls. (Well, the two that are old enough to understand them).

Really beautiful flower design for the older one, funky little one with Giraffes made out of bannanas for the other one (Check out “Play with your Food” designs, very cute!).

As if I needed any more encouragement to be a better Auntie. My brother & sister-in-law just had another daughter yesterday!

That makes four girls aged; 5, ALMOST 4, 3, and 1.5 days.

I bought a newborn baby pink & grey t-shirt that says “I heart my Auntie” and mailed it Monday so it should arrive within a few days of the birth. It said that it was newborn size…but it seems so big!

This time, I am starting off right!

My 2 year old niece turns 3 on the 15th. I bought her the book “Where the Wild Things Are” and mailed it earlier this week. Coincidentally, my brother, her dad has the same name as the main character.

My mom used to read this book to me and my brothers when we were little. It felt good to pass the tradition on. Also, when kids get so many toys and things with tons of bells and whistles, it feels REALLY good to give a book instead.