sister wives

joey and emily, my brother and his wife, have lived with us for almost two years.

we love living together and have even started the search for a bigger house (kitchen) that would accommodate us better for communal living, especially if they eventually have a baby too. however, in the meantime, they've found a tiny old fashioned miner's cabin that suits them perfectly and they're moving out march 1. booo-hoooo :(

so in honor of my housemates, i figured i'd let you in on my biggest parenting secret: having a "sister wife!" we are home a lot together while our dudes work, very 1950's, so emily and i like to joke around about being housewives. 

this means my baby gets two mamas in a sense! emily is by far one of lucy's favorite people in the world. she makes her smile immediately no matter how tired or fussy lucy's been. she witnessed the first laugh, helps lucy learn to "talk," holds her while i eat, gives her special names and shows her how to dance.

if there is one thing i can't stress enough about parenting, it is the importance of having a good support system. i am really lucky to live close to both my parents who stop by regularly to hold the baby, bring me a treat, take a movie back for me, etc. especially since darin and i share a car, so oftentimes i am home without wheels.

but best of all has been sharing these first several months with joey and emily right here in our home. when i had to call for an ambulance while lucy projectile vomited at five weeks old, it was joey and emily who made the call and helped me see if she was breathing. i never get scared at night when darin works late. there's always someone to share a cup of coffee with, and a story to make me laugh. 

plus sometimes she's just so cute, it's nice to have another witness!

okay my co-mama emmy...i just can't wait to one day share these same joys with you. 

maybe by then we'll build our dream house, a two story on lots of property, with two or three bedrooms on each floor, and one huge kitchen to share. a housewife can dream, right ;)

while i look forward to having the extra space to make an etsy studio at home, i will truly miss living with them. we will see each other every day, that is one thing i know for sure!

i'm curious: would you ever consider co-habitation? does it seem surprising or crazy to you? what would be your boundaries or guidelines?