A bride, 3 nieces, and a baby

So I took a week off before the wedding to do some last minute stuff and to welcome people coming into Paris, including my sister, her husband, their 3 little girls and a baby.  That’s right.

Let’s go back a year to September 2011 to this conversation:

Sister:  I’m pregnant
Me:  [what about the wedding?!!!!] Congratulations!!!!
Sister:  Thanks
Me:  [A baby is good news... a baby is good news... a baby is good news...]  Great news!
Sister:  Yearh
Me:  So… when are you due?
Sister:  End of May
Me:  [what about the wedding in August?????]  Aw, that’s great.

The above is the reason why I did not know if my sister, my matron of honor, was in fact coming to the wedding and the reason why my family did not book their flight to Paris until about one month before. There were ideas about bribing uncles to come along as full time au pairs, other ideas about only bringings ome of the children, and then of course there was my fear that nobody would come at all.  But in the end it was decided that everyone was coming.

I quickly sprang into action looking for things like car booster seats and making other needed arrangements to accommodate 5 adults, 3 kids, and a baby.

So finally they arrived one day before town hall wedding and I went to the airport to pick everyone up.  The sleep deprived adults emerged first pushing carts with mounds of baggage topped with sleepy/unhappy/crying children.  I quickly ushered them into the rented minivan and to their hotel room.

I left them to sleep and meet some friends coming in that needed briefing on their role in the wedding.  Only when I got to the friend’s hotel room they hadn’t checked in yet even though it was now 3 hours after their flight got in.  Concerned I sat and waited when my phone rang. Thinking it was my friends I answered.  It was instead, my sister.

Sister:  Whatcha doing?
Me:  Waiting for some friends, what’s up?
Sister:  Um. Husband is passed out but kids are awake.  All 4 of them. It’s kind of... hard.
Me: Oh
Sister:  I just thought if you weren’t doing anything…
Me:  Well…
Sister:  Cause you know I haven’t slept in 2 days. 
Me:  Ok
Sister:  And the girls have strep.
Me:  Ok.

I left a message for my friends and headed back to the hotel room where the zombie that replaced my sister answered the door.  I quickly took over and played with the girls as my sister lied down for a nap.

As I am entertaining two of the four, I see one of them inch towards my sister.

Me:  Hey, come here what do you need?
Niece:  I want to tell Mommy something
Me:  You can tell me.
Niece:  [looking reluctant]
Me:  It’s ok, you can tell me and after we can tell Mommy when she wakes up from her nap, ok?
Niece:  I poo-ed in my pants.
Me:  Oh.

But it’s cool, I’ve dealt with niece poo before, I got this.  But I didn’t have to. Why? Because my sister hears this after not having slept for 2 day, gets up, and says, I kid you not, don’t worry Kelly I got it.

I do believe in love.