My sort-of kid

About five years ago, my husband Stormy and I decided it was time to have children of our own. It didn't take long for me to get pregnant, but our happy plans were spectacularly dashed, and eventually we learned that it was very unlikely that I would ever be able to carry our children to term.

That was devastating.

When George was pregnant with Gaz, we joked a lot about me becoming Auntie Lisa, and when it was time for George to go back to work, my own freelance work schedule made it very easy to slip into that role. I had no idea how profoundly my life would change.

Gaz isn't my niece, really, and she isn't my daughter either, but she is my sort-of kid. Three days a week, on average, I get the enormous privilege of being one of her parents. We have our own rhythms and routines, our own jokes, our own games. When she naps next to me, she reaches out to me in her sleep. When I walk in the door, she bounces and giggles excitedly until I get my coat off and pick her up for a hug.

I thought this relationship with Gaz would be a little sad for me, because she's not my daughter and I don't know if I'll ever get to meet the daughter in my heart, but that's not the case at all. Gaz isn't a stand-in for the child I don't have. She's her own person and a very special member of my family. I will always be her Auntie Lisa, and we will always have each other, no matter what.

Thanks Gaz, for being my sort-of kid. And thanks George and Mitch, for adopting me into your family.

I love you guys! ::grin::