so much family

almost three weeks ago, taher's middle brother and his wife had their first child. she is tiny and gorgeous and sleepy. with unbelievably tiny fingers which i might just have to gobble up.

taher's oldest brother and his wife and their two daughters stayed in chicago all of last week, to be here for the chatthi and the aqiqa and all of that. my sister-in-law's parents were also here, helping out for a while with the new baby. which means in taher's parents' house, there were his parents, his brothers, my sisters-in-law, the three grandkids, her parents... and us. we decided to camp out there for a week to spend time with the entire family.

one house, 13 people. there were always people in every room, and in the evenings everyone would gather in the living room and just talk for an hour or two. it was fun. and even a bit relaxed! i spent a lot of time just holding the baby, or playing with the kids, or chatting in the kitchen with my sisters-in-law. or getting in line for the bathroom!

the week was memorable not only for the fun we had, but for the realization i had, over the course of our stay, that this whole menagerie was once just taher's parents. the two of them. they must look at the crowd we've become and feel amazing. i imagine my parents feel the same way when they look at me and taher, my brother and bhabi and niece. the feeling that their family is growing before their eyes, and only becoming closer and tighter-knit as more people are added to the group.