Olya is small, but not terribly toddlerish, maybe 3. She has a brand new baby sister whom is so tiny she must either be less than a month or a pre-me. Olya is losing the majority of the attention she has been receiving for the past three years, but she "gets" that her sister is someone important, someone worth helping. So, when her sister loses her pacifier because it's hard to hold in her mouth while crying, Olya will pick it up (from a quarter of an inch away from her sister's face) and put it back in her sister's mouth. Of course, when she is unsuccessful, her mom may think that Olya took the pacifier and caused the crying, rather than trying to be the solution, but that (hopefully) won't deter her from being there and helping her sister find what's right in front of her face in the future.
My siblings are pretty amazing. We're all closer to the handing out pacifier phase than we are the receiving, but it's still pretty wonderful to have them around, to help me with what's right in front of my face and with what's not. I spent Thanksgiving in Ohio and while it wasn't a particularly restful holiday, it was a good time. My whole family came to the airport to pick me up and the family time continued for the rest of the weekend. I look forward to seeing them again in 2-3 weeks!
When I wasn't with my family I was with my fabulous, fabulous friends. As I told my mom and Miller, my friend karma has come back to me 10-fold. I used to put a lot of effort into friendships that didn't always having a reciprocating counterpart, but now I have fabulous friends all around the world who I consistently exchange happiness and love with... and a particularly great group back in Ohio. They're crazy and I might not be the best apples-to-apples player with them, but they always make for a good time and love me, even when I forget the cinnamon applesauce.
