Meet my little cousin, Bryan.

He’s the baby of the family. I use the terms “little” and “baby” loosely as this kid is like 6’5” and has to wear at least a size 13 shoe. He graduated high school this week. I’ve been looking at the graduation announcement with his Senior picture on my refrigerator in amazement the last few weeks.

Bryan and I are not particularly close. How could we be? There is a big age gap between the two of us. I am nearly 14 years older than he is and was preparing to go to high school when he was born. I was the first grandchild. He was the ninth. We are the bookends of our generation, just as our mothers were before us.

That’s me on the top row, far right at age 19. I was a sophomore in college. Bryan is the little boy on the floor in the center. He had to be about 5. Yes, we’re wearing matching outfits. Greyson says we look like a cult family in this picture. I keep it up in the house. It makes me smile.

For  me, Bryan has always been a marker of time.

I watched him as a baby through teenage eyes, thinking he was cute, but little else. I rarely thought of anyone but myself as a college student and young adult, so his childhood comes to me in flashes of Christmas presents and brief memories of a little boy playing backyard football. When he was a kid, he always made me laugh because I could tell he could care less about talking to me about anything. He would say things like, “Is Greyson here?” I would laugh and point to Greyson. They could talk sports. I always asked him about dorky stuff like school.

He was always a good kid. As far as I know he never told anyone about the time I was hammered drunk at another cousin’s wedding.  In my stupor I offered Bryan, who was 11 or 12-years-old at the time, a sip of champagne. He turned it down. Like I said, he’s a good kid.

The summer after I graduated high school seems like so long ago. I’m not equipped to give advice. Besides, I wouldn’t want him to take advice from me. I think the journey has changed. It will certainly be different for him than it was for the rest of us. Our little  cousin has a scholarship to play Division I baseball.  Greyson has been watching the College World Series preliminary games all weekend. These guys look like young men, not like my little cousin. It’s amazing to me that next year he will be on the field with them. I speak for the rest of the family when I say we couldn’t be prouder.

I’m not sure he will ever understand what it means for our family to see him graduate and leave home. He is the last, and he has done well.

Congratulations Bryan! I wish you all the joy in the world as you head out into the world. We can’t wait to see what you become.

We’re learning which lightswitch turns the light out and which one grinds up our food scraps. I’ve discovered drawers in the bathroom to stash extra shampoo and the best way to load this dishwasher. We’re going to be naked if the new washer/dryer doesn’t arrive as scheduled on Tuesday. Despite this house being about as “move-in ready” as a house can be, my couches clash with the accent wall in the living room and we spent more than expected changing the locks at Lowe’s. But, I mean, show me someone who doesn’t spend more than they plan to at freakin’ Lowe’s.

I’m having trouble looking away from Pinterest’s endless “Home Decor” category. I guess I’m a glutton for punishment who needs Pinterest to remind me of how much work I have to do and how woefully inadequate my decorating skills are. Yes! I get it Pinterest! Everything at West Elm is amazing, but $45 for a throw pillow is a little more than I want to spend right now.

In other words, we’re settling in.

I have to say, despite the boxes and misplaced serving bowl, it already feels like home. Tonight Charlotte and I built a tower higher than we’ve ever made. I was so proud of her matching the colors of her blocks and her telling me about the animals on each one of them. We’re already making memories.

I recorded this video the night of March 5, the night I found out I was pregnant.  After I took a pregnancy test I ran to the store to buy Charlotte a Big Sister shirt to show daddy  You can see the rest.

I love everything about this video.  I love my husband’s befuddled look, his messy curls and that old Han Solo t-shirt.  I love that he doesn’t act disgusted even though I’m handing him something I just peed on.  He’s the kind of guy you have babies with.

We’ve been practicing our grunting and bridge guarding.  I think Charlotte would be a pretty cute troll.  You know, like the early nineties collectibles we enjoyed.  Aw!  Here she is…

Now, if Greyson and I were trolls, we’d be gruesome doofuses like a Harry Potter troll.  Ew…

Why are we going to be trolls?  Oh, because since we’ve sold our house we have no where to live.  Surely we’ll doomed to live under a bridge somewhere and be a troll family.

Seriously.  We’ve made offers on three houses.  Two have fallen through and we remain in limbo with the third.  I’m starting to think a mossy bridge over a sparkling stream would be lovely.  But, then I remember we’d probably end up under a highway overpass with some smack addicts and I continue my MLS Google searches.  Well, as long as it’s an overpass near a good elementary school it might work.

We had to celebrate tonight with a little treat.  We had to celebrate because those little thingys in the hospital that they put on Greyson’s chest made him psychic!  Freakin’ psychic, ya’ll!

It’s the weirdest thing.  This morning he says to me, “Amy, today is the day we’re going to get an offer on the house.”  I got to work and joked with a coworker who told me to keep my phone close, just in case.  One hour later Greyson called me to tell me to check my email.  Offer!  We got home after another showing.  Second offer!  Woo hoo!

Now we’re playing that brutally delicate game of counter-offering.  The reality that we will have to eventually find somewhere else to leave is creeping up on me.

But, for now we’re celebrating because Greyson is feeling better and went back to work today. Thank you all so much for your kind words and well wishes!  Things are looking up this week!  I think Charlotte sums up my feelings here…