And then there was many.

OK! Everyone, say sOYcHeESe!
This is my beautiful family. I am fortunate in that my service for Srila Acaryadeva has allowed me just enough time to fly back to Buffalo, NY and hold my three new nieces and nephews for the first time.

My sweet, sweet Ella. Just a few months back, she was in the hospital with tubes poking out of her every which way and trapped inside a lonely, plastic bubble. At that time, I was only allowed to hold her little fingers by reaching through a tiny arm flap on the side of that bubble. We prayed and prayed and now she is Krishna's miracle, sweet as they come and satisfied by watching the world around her. And here is my amazing sister, Nicole, who somehow made it through the trauma of having her precious little girl in the intensive care unit for the first month of her new life. Nicole is a natural at this mom stuff.
Todd is my brother-in-law. He is an expert at giving Ella her evening bath. I don't know how the three of them survived that first month, but they pulled through elegantly. Becoming a parent is one way to become truly self-less in a selfish, selfish world.

My Dad and Heather (AKA Pops & Mops) are proud as can be. Heather is an old pro, having had two babies of her own. She's got the magic touch only moms can have. Here's my little man, Mr. Zach. Good thing he's so freakin' cute cause he likes to cry, and he like to cry A LOT! April describes his personality as rugged yet sensitive. Zach's partner in crime and twin sister, Ms. Maya here, looking like an angel. It was so special to spend time with these guys. They live in Santa Cruz, California so darshan is few and far between. My favorite time with the babes was chanting HARE KRSNA together. It's fun having a little buddy to pray with until....until he wakes up screaming with a disaster diaper and a killer stomach ache. It's gotta be rough having no sense control or control of your bodily functions. This is truly the definition of MENTAL. It rubs off on the caretakers too.
But don't worry, April, there is a special place in heaven for mothers of twins.
It was a special treat to see my Gram and Grumpa, meeting their great grandchildren for the first time. We know they're not ours but family means special connection, a closeness and an unconditional love that, in our finer moments, we might strive to give others outside our limited identification of family. Temporary as it is, I sure love my beautiful, beautiful familia.