It was uncomfortable at first: I needed to leave enough room that she wouldn't fall off the bed in the middle of the night. I doubled my pillow to keep it from slipping down and pushing or covering her. Things were awkward, but that didn't stop me from falling asleep in less than five minutes. I woke up a few times over night, and Colette was fine all night long.

My dad woke me up at 6:30, per my request. When I started to stir Colette woke up. I spoke quietly to her, welcoming her to the new day.

She smiled.

That's the first time she's ever really smiled at me in response to something specific. It was amazing! I'd seen her grin from time to time before, but it was never in response to anything, and it was always fleeting. This was different. I continued talking to her, and she continued smiling at me, looking at me with her shiny dark eyes. I thought about waking Jean to show her, but she was fast asleep and I didn't think Colette's mood would last much longer. So I quietly played with her before bringing her downstairs for breakfast.

When I got back at dinnertime from the workshop I've been attending Colette was still in good spirits. She'd been smiling off and on all day. Shane and Joanna, and their daughters Sabrina and Molly came over around six. Molly, at ten months, is still too young to comprehend her cousin. Sabrina, at two and a half, was different. At first she was still tired from their trip (they'd just arrived back in Philadelphia from some tropical paradise). But after fifteen minutes she seemed to take notice of Colette. When we tried to explain to her that Colette was her cousin, she insisted that Riley (her two-year old cousin on her mother's side) was her cousin. It took several attempts before she seemed to accept the notion that Colette might also be her cousin. A little while longer, and she wanted to sit next to Colette.

I spoke with Sabrina about Colette, and asked her if she wanted to hug Colette. Very carefully she reached out and hugged her. I sat Colette next to her on the couch, and several photographs were quickly snapped. We added Molly to the mix, and the triumvirate was captured for all history.

Sadly Sabrina and Molly were exhausted from the trip back and were becoming agitated, so Shane and Joanna decided they weren't going to be able to stay for dinner. They pulled themselves back together and went home. I hope they had a quiet night.

A little while later my sister Colette called. She was back in New York, and Shawn had taken her to dinner at a restaurant called Cleopatra's, where he proposed! It was only then, while Colette was on the phone to my mother, that I found out that Shawn had asked my dad for Colette's hand in marriage while they were visiting over the weekend to see my daughter. Shawn is too cool, asking for Collete's hand: chivalry lives.

So it looks as if there's to be a wedding sometime later this year! More details as the story develops.