From the time I brought Jay home from the hospital, when Karley was 19 months old, she has been practicing for the role of Mom. We always referred to her as a "little mother" because she was always hovering around her brothers, trying to help out with their care. This behaviour continued until she reached the age of about 10 because by then they had become typical annoying brothers and the motherly instinct took a back seat to being a domineering big sister. Fortunately, that phase has passed as well and she has progressed to becoming a concerned, loving friend and soon-to-be mother of her own child.

Today we decided to go for a drive to White Rock with Karley and Jay while Ian stayed home to organize his studio and have some alone time. On our way there, Karley and Jay sat in the back seat and we laughed about the times when as children, they and their brother Jamie would be crammed in a back seat, fighting over the window. Now, with them being grown adults and Karley being so pregnant, the thought of the three of them sitting in a back seat together seemed to be an impossible feat.

We stopped at the waterfront and parked the car and found a place to eat where we could enjoy the scenery. The weather, though not as warm and clear as yesterday, still afforded us a beautiful view of the ocean, mountains and islands in the distance. While Karley struggled to sit with some degree of comfort, she decided that this would probably be her last outing until after the baby was born. She sat in the front seat on the way back, reclined a little with her vest tucked behind her back just trying to find a position where her back would no longer ache. We had a fun afternoon and it was nice for me to see two of my offspring enjoying each other's company as caring adults.