baby cakes

we all still call her "baby" or "that baby," even though she's almost eight month old. first we all just called her "baby" because my sister changed her name so many times that when she settled on margaret none of us were used to it. then we started calling her "that baby" because that's what i called my sister until she was almost one. maybe when she's less like a baby and more like a small person we'll all switch over to maggie, but for now i like that she's still the baby. at the same time, every day she's more like her own person. when i talk to my sister on the phone i can hear her in the background, talking her baby talk, making noises, shrieking with glee when the cat walks into the room. my sister always puts her on the phone for a minute to, and i just talk to her, saying, "hi baby!" and "maggie" and i can hear her baby breathing and sometimes giggling. my sister says she wants her to know me and wants her to get comfortable with the phone, and that even though she doesn't say anything yet she always smiles when i talk to her. i think it's more the novelty of hearing her name on the funny, blinky thing that's mom's than her thinking "this is my cool auntie" but i like it anyhow. it pleases me immensely, her baby breathing on the phone.

i got my ticket to california for thanksgiving, even though i haven't *technically* been given the time off. mom found a cheap ticket and insisted on just buying it, and we figured if we needed to change the flight out or return that would be easy enough to arrange. i'm really excited. my sister's been calling every day since we got the tickets, and tonight she called to ask what sorts of things i wanted to eat while i was there. this is something mom used to always do whenever my sister and i came home for the weekend from college. you'd get a random call and she'd be on the other end saying, "you like goat cheese, right? how do you feel about gouda? would you eat a lamb roast or should i get beef?" i loved that. what i love even more is that evidently it's a habit mom's passed on to us, because i got to ask my sister to make popovers and teach me how to make a brioche. all my requests were made after i pointed out that i didn't care, that what i really wanted was to chew on my niece's cheeks and take a million photos of her. if we had time for dinner after that, then yay! what i really want though is to nibble on that baby.

well, and that and visit giant robot, chinatown, and kid robot. i also really want to see my people and sleep in late. and maybe ask mom really nicely if she'll make sticky buns. but mostly it's all about that baby.