That's Just How They Come

I went back to work a few weeks ago and since then have had all the requisite "how's the family how's the baby" questions from clients. Some have full knowledge of the growings of our family, others just know I was out on maternity leave just like the last time two years ago. All of them ask for pictures. It's always funny to watch the reaction from a client who either wasn't around two years ago or was but just assumed maternity leave = birth of biological child. First they wonder how on Earth my 2 year old (which is how old he would be had my maternity leave = his biological birth) could be SO BIG. Then they wonder what the Father situation must be. And then, finally, I relieve them of the massive eye twitching and nervous shaking I've caused and provide them with the answer to why the son I was on maternity leave to mother in 2008 was born a year earlier, and why I was just on maternity leave leave to mother a daughter born, well, born just now. Answer?

Because that's just how they come.

My lovely niece fed me that fancy little line. She was being presented with the idea of an adoption by family friends who were considering it as a possible way to grow their family, and they were concerned about how they would explain where the baby came from to my niece and nephews. Well, my niece who has watched families grow by adoption in 4 out of 5 cases on one side of our family kindly informed the world that she always thought that's just how babies came. Until Leni of course, whose birth thoroughly confused my niece as there were no airplanes or multiple mothers involved. I'm pretty sure she figures Leni got the short end of the stick on that one. Only one mother? Puh-shaw. Needless to say the family friends are now pretty sure the niece and nephew will be able to handle the news of another adoption just fine.

Anyhow.

I'm obviously not trying to lighten the impact of adoption or having multiple mothers or any of that, it's just nice to be refreshed with the possibility of simplicity from the very source of simplicity itself - the mind of a child. Well, that and the line makes it easy to screw with poor well intentioned people occasionally who had nothing but an honest pondering about our family and really probably don't deserve to be messed with but it's fun and I can, so there. That's just how I come.