Celebrating motherhood takes on a new level of meaning when the day comes so close to the impending arrival of a new baby. The family has acquired new members since last mother's day, but we haven't had anyone actually born into the family for a couple of decades. That's a long time between babies, but it should make next Mother's Day an even more special occasion for all of us.

Today was just a warm and comfortable day of family togetherness. I used to think that it took years to develop a close family bond, because so much depends on the shared history people have with each other. But of course we've learned over the past year that someone can come into your life and make an instant connection that changes the family dynamic forever. We're the same as we were a year ago, and also so very different.

We got together at Suzanne and John's house for dinner and Survivor. That seems to be the new Mother's Day tradition. There's shared history, and then there's the shared experience of analyzing the personalities and strategies we've been getting to know for the last few months. It's a safe subject for argument and discussion on a day of togetherness. We can save the big issues for another time.