Families are all different. And that doesn't change just because two people decide to get married. For example, my mother is one of seven children. My father is an only child. Clearly, their parents had different definitions of what a family should be (or at least how big it should be).
A few months before my baby sister, Tiffany, was born, my parents decided to inform their parents of the specifics of their propagation. My father's dad died when he was a kid. So the only one for him to inform was his mother. At the time, he was starting a business and my mother was in school (and actually, he was in school too but he was still starting a business but whatever you don't care and this post is for my sister so you can fuck off).
Anyway, Dad called his mom to inform her that Mom was pregnant and Grandma said, "Oh Lord. How will you get along? How will you afford that? That is too much."
Tiffany was Dad's third kid.
After Dad talked Grandma off the metaphorical ledge, he called his father-in-law, my Grandpa, father of seven, who upon hearing the news of my mom's pregnancy, took time away from his clan of children, acreage and business to say, "Well, that's a good start."
(When you raise seven kids, news of one of your kids' third kid isn't so much news as just generally the way shit happens.)
Anyway, fast forward a few months and Dad's mom is coming to visit. And my mom is all worried because Grandma is all pissed that Dad and Mom took on the financial burden that is a third child. Mom wanted my dad, an excellent planner and intellect, to come up with a way to convince Grandma that Tiffany was not a bad idea. Tiff was about three months old at the time.
"Don't worry about it," Dad said. "Tiffany will do all the work."
My stubborn Grandma, God rest her soul, refused to even look at Tiffany for the first three minutes after we took the stubborn Dutch lady from her hangar.
About one minute later, Grandma was holding Tiffany in her arms and would not let her go for nothing.
As luck likes to play life, Tiffany ended up being the spitting image of her Grandma DeGraaf. Same height, hair color, eye color, skin color and stubborn streak. My mom likes to line up pictures of the two at similar ages and show them to family because it is kinda freaky how much they're alike.
Tiffany had a birthday today. And she told me to write her a blog post for it. She refused to specify a topic so this is what she got.
Happy birthday to my baby sister and biggest fan: Tiffany.
Sister, I wish you hundreds more.
Thanks for being you and for putting up with me.
God bless, Littless. God bless.