I became aunt today. My sister had a baby girl. I'm all over the place.

It was a long and hard road for my sister to get to this this moment. I remember my dad telling me once that one of the last things my mum said about my sister was "I don't know where she gets all her strength from". I don't know either. What matters is that my sister had strength of spirit and character that got her through many hard moments before this one.

But now, it's all behind her. There is a little lady, mistress, lady of the house (the meaning of the name chosen for the baby), as that very special someone for whom it was all worth it. The name is also of the patron saint of the helping professions. I love it when the names are chosen for their meaning and significance.

My son said "Aunty and uncle will know how to take care of the baby. They looked after me, so they've learnt it all."

My day was already good before I got the news. This morning we've been told that we'd have the keys to our house by the end of the month. But even that pales in comparison to what followed later in the day.

I was in town when I got the news. I just happened to see these two adorable pieces which had to go home with me.

And I just had to share all the news with my on-line family