iNik

iNik is my younger sister. Younger by 8 years. I don’t remember much before she was 2 years old. That’s about the time she started crawling in bed with me at night. With her, she brought her grinding teeth and a mild case of sleep apnea. After our parents divorced we shared a bedroom. When she was 6 we packed up the 2 door hatchback and she, Nana, and I headed from California to Tennessee where we would start our new life with Poppa. iNik sat in the backseat with Trouble, the cocker spaniel mutt for the days it took to get to Tennessee. Poppa had bought us a new HUGE house where iNik and myself would each have our own bedroom – at opposite ends of the house. For the next year she would still sneak into my bedroom after I was asleep.

She, self-admittedly, has her “blonde” moments. When we took her to register for the first grade in Germantown she was deathly afraid she wouldn’t be able to understand anyone because they would all speak German.

One day Wes and I headed to Nana’s house. iNik had left and locked the door behind her. Wanting to make sure we were not locked out of the house she left us a note taped to the front door: “The key is under the mat”. Thankfully, burglars apparently cannot read….

By 16 years of age she had become one of my best friends.

And she grew into a fantastic woman. She was thrilled when we announced the impending arrival of Zman. He was born just before her last summer at home before heading off to college. I stayed home with him for 6 weeks, Wes stayed home for 2 more, and then iNik kept him – all summer. It was hard for her to leave him and drive 4 hours away.

I called her at college to tell her I was pregnant with Bean. Bean was born in March with iNik as a witness and iNik came home that summer to keep her. She took pictures galore and iNik struggled, but SUCCEEDED, in convincing that nursing baby to take a bottle. Back to school she went. It was at iNik’s apartment Bean had her first slumber party.

But she graduated and moved to Georgia. So far away. It was hard on all of us. She was the first person I called when I discovered we were pregnant with Bug. She was over the moon, but a little sad that she wouldn’t be here to share the moment.

She called me several months later to tell me she was expecting Almost Mine. A tough call. She was scared, he was unexpected, and I couldn’t be there to hug her and tell her everything was going to be okay.

After Bug’s delivery our first call was to iNik.

Then she moved back home with her big belly. She let me be there during the ultrasound that told us Almost Mine was a boy. She let me be her birthing coach. She let Bug (at 5 months old) and I come to the delivery. And she gave me the honor of cutting his cord.

She loves my children as if they were her own. She constantly takes them for the day, for the night, it doesn’t matter to her. She is the aunt with abounding patience even though she works 24/7.

She is a MAJOR part of my village and it takes quite a village with my crew. She’s one of my best friends and I love her. And today is her birthday.

Happy Birthday iNik!

Love,

Your favorite sister!