Smile Even When Your Heart is Breaking.

Last night my very pregnant petsitter stopped by to visit unexpectedly and to thank me again for the monogrammed diaper bag I had given her at her shower. Chloe was delighted to see her and even the cats loved on her, in spite of That Dog (as I believe they refer to Chloe in their minds) jumping all around.
We had a pleasant little visit. We talked about the little girl she's babysitting each day this summer. We talked about our favorite books and movies and aliens and ouija boards and Lindsay Lohan and everything else under the sun.
We talked about her plans for her life after the baby is born. We talked about her aspirations to someday be a police psychologist and evaluate officers after traumatic events.
As she was leaving she thanked me for the first "adult" conversation she'd had all day. Then she put her hand on her back and waddled down the stairs.
I smiled as I walked her to the pavement and chatted about the heat. Then I watched her waddle away towards her dad's townhouse.
Did I mention she's only 16?

Edit: I began this post last night. This morning I ended up taking my petsitter to see her OB. Because of her age, finding an OB that would take her in her 8th month was not easy so she had to go with one across the river. I was convinced that her water was going to break in my car on the way, but fortunately that didn't happen. However, she asked me to go into the examining room with her. The nurse thought I was her mother. The doctor called me the babydaddy understudy. The doctor was warm but firm with her after allaying her fears, asking why she hadn't seen a doctor earlier and was understanding when she explained she was 16 and scared. He had lots of helpful advice on dealing with medicaid and other programs. One of the ladies in the waiting room gave her a phone number to a free car seat program. I stood beside her when he did the ultrasound and I have to say that watching it live is pretty cool.
We sang along with the radio on our way home, and she laughed when I slammed on the brakes when I saw a cop, even though we weren't speeding. In so many ways, she's a typical teenager. I dropped her off at home and again I smiled as she heaved herself out of the car and waddled home. Because she might chronologically still be a teenager, but she has a lot of adult responsibilites crashing around her now.