There are few things in the world more endearing than a man singing to his baby daughter. But the whole experience takes on an extra sense of meaning when that man is your brother. When I first heard that he and Alyssa were having a baby, I wasn't sure how to picture Wyatt as a dad. To me, he's still that kid back when we were all kids. He's still the guy in high school (ooh, how old and sophisticated he must be to be in high school!, I used to think), who worked on his novel at the computer everyday. He is still the guitarist, rocking out with our brother, Derek, and their friend, Edward, in the livingroom-turned-into-stage with guitars, drums, amps, and mics. He's still the long-haired college student returning for the summer from his first year at UC Berkeley.

And he is still that person. The writer, the musician, the academic, the admirable older brother. It's just that now I can add great father to the list as well. It's strange seeing him in such a new role. Strange in a wonderful way. It's very cool to see another aspect to him that I hadn't considered before. Just seeing him with the baby bjorn and Ruby strapped against his heart, swaying back and forth to calm her, while talking softly in her ear... Or seeing him gaze into her sweet little face while singing her a calming tune... It's easy to see that being a loving father comes naturally to him. I'm so happy for Ruby.

Of course, I should say that Ruby has a wonderfully loving mom as well. It's so cute to see Alyssa wearing the baby bjorn, too! Or making Ruby smile so wide while she baby-talks to her. The only reason that it's not as much of a landmark event for me to see Alyssa as a mom is I have always known her as an adult, so it makes sense to see her as a parent. I've known Wyatt since he was just a little boy. And now that he has a little girl - that's just incredible! Ruby is a very lucky girl to have them both! And I feel like a very lucky girl to be here now visiting with them. Life is good!