Family Reunion

This weekend has been one big giant gathering of Dano's family. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, parents, children, siblings, grandchildren, great-grandchildren. Lilah has been greatly enjoying herself and largely well behaved. Considering the lack of sleep, over stimulation, constant activity, and optional naps, things have gone better than they could have.

I have felt displaced and odd. Not upset or sad. I just don't really know how to feel. It has been fast paced and busy. I feel like the gathering of people have been very focused on where we're going and what we're doing. The Alexanders and Balls (who are the normal Detroit area crew) are usually content to hang around, sometimes eat, sometimes do something, but the who is always more of a focus than the what or where.

While taking cover from the rain today, Ephraim was interrogating me and Larry about the different "baby songs" sung to each child. Lilah's was "Bandit Queen" and "Ida, Sweet as Apple Cider" (only we sang "Lilah" instead of "Ida"). EJ's was "Bye Bye Baby". I can't remember Zedd's. He asked what mine was. I didn't have one. "Well who sang to you?"
"Nobody."
"Why didn't your mama or daddy?"
"They didn't like to sing."
"Why not? Where are they?"
"Far away."
"Why aren't they here? Where do they live?"
"I don't even know anymore, Eph."

There are no members of Dano's family whom I dislike. They all like me and accepted me into the family. I have no in-law horror stories. I just truly don't know how to interact. I have gotten very comfortable with Kim, Adam, the boys, Ann, Larry, and Max. I feel like me around them. But add others into the mix that I have met once or twice or not at all, and I feel lost. They have the same blood in their veins that flows through the child in my arms, but they're total strangers to me. Yet people like Dennis (Adam's dad) share no relation to my little family whatsoever, but feel like blood. It's so confusing to me, who doesn't know what a normal family unit looks like, let alone all this extended family nonsense.

I would love to have one more day of my weekend to recover before going back to work tomorrow, but that's not in the cards. It's been nonstop activity since Friday at 6 and I'm worn out just from the business of it all. Flu season will be starting at work soon and I need all the time I can get before that madness. Labor Day is fast approaching and I have 5 days off. I'd like to go camping or something, but we'll see what happens. In the meantime, I am really enjoying the small, boring unit that is my family and learning to live and be happy in the moment instead of always looking frantically forward to the next thing I'm supposed to be doing. I'm content being unexciting.