Meet Alice.

Hi! Did you miss me? I missed you too. I arrived home from Europe safe and sound last night and proceeded to sleep for 12 delicious, pharmaceutical-enhanced hours.

But I have to admit, I'm a little sad. A month in Amsterdam had me feeling like I was living there again, only to see it end suddenly, like waking up from a dream you swear is real. The night before I left, though, I got the perfect little reminder of some of the love and goodness waiting for me at home. I hopped onto Facebook for a quick check, and saw these:

 Oh, have I not told you about her? Are you simply and completely falling all over yourself right now wondering what ever is this glorious spectacle of beauty and cuteness? That’s my niece. Two months old. Easy on the eyes, ain’t she? I know. Even those of you who wouldn’t exactly qualify as baby enthusiasts, even those who are black inside, you have to admit that this child is a truly incredible piece of human engineering. And don’t tell me I only think that because she’s family. Even if I knew full well that she were actually the spawn of the devil incarnate, I would have trouble not bringing my face to her perfect tiny mouth hoping to be so lucky as to catch one small whiff of her sweet breath as it floats from her new, new lungs. Lungs that have yet to fill themselves with any of the toxins and gloom that hang in the world she has barely begun to discover, not yet breathing air heavy with time and sadness.

So I'm getting in my car tomorrow morning and driving down to LA to go give her a squeeze. I haven't seen her in 6 weeks and I mean, at this age, that's over half her life. I have some catching up to do.

*Photos by Erin Senge (baby mama)