My favorite distractions

Tonight I missed everything. I didn't watch the television I wanted to watch, I didn't check email. I didn't even return phone calls. I didn't water flowers or take out the trash. Grey's Anatomy came and went and I completely forgot.

Why?

Because now, right now, there is a baby sleeping just one room away from me. His mother, snugly tucked into bed as well. Both resting from a long day of travel. Both here, both safe.

My beautiful sister- four months after giving birth and back into her skinny jeans- made a cross country trip today, alone, with my nephew. She stepped off that escalator looking like the smartest mom ever; baby strapped on in the front pack, backpack on the back. Hands free, people, listen up!

And my perfect little nephew, I'm not sure there are even words. He's animated like his mom, laid back like his dad. He smiles constantly, makes cute little baby sounds that could warm even the coldest heart and I'm quite certain each and every person who meets him will fall in love before they even know what hit them. A natural charmer, that one.

They've been here mere hours and my house feels different. It feels alive. It's like there are emotions from floor to ceiling. The rug beneath my feet is softer. The walls aren't just walls, they're protection. Everything is richer, warmer.

I peek in at both of them now, faces barely visible through the stream of light coming from the hallway and I realize again, or maybe for the first time, the true meaning of a home.