'the queen mother'

i am miffed.

right after my niece was born, i stumbled across what i thought was a wonderful find at marshall's. clearance-priced, it was a boppy pillow in zebra material, so of course i was enamored. i couldn't think of a cooler gift that was more practical but also fun and very aunt-petunia. so i bought it, shipped it on its way, and waited.

the baby is two and a half weeks old now, so on the phone with my sister today, i finally asked her about the package i sent. there was a pause, and she responded, "we already have a boppy pillow." i knew this; i was, in fact, with my father when he bought it. +i said so and mentioned that i thought they could keep one at their townhouse, and then keep the other at their house in breckenridge, where they weekend. she responded, "we don't need two." i told her i couldn't resist the zebra pattern. she said, "but zebra is your thing." at this, i thought it was best to change the subject.

i feel so slighted. and i am a little annoyed with myself for calling tanja out on the fact that she was being a rude bitch. for the past 10 months she has been tiptoed around and treated like the virigin mother, and the attitude still lingers somehow. i would like to think that giving birth would disable my sister from employing everyday manners and make her a primadonna-mama. i can't possibly fathom receiving a present from someone -anyone- and responding in this fashion.

as i ranted about this later, i began to wonder if my sister is going to have to approve of everything i buy my niece for the rest of her life. isn't that kind of the point of being the crazy aunt, getting to be the anti-mommy?

how do i get my hurt and scorned feelings across to my sister while 1) not upsetting her potentially post-partum depressed sense of balance while 2) not selling myself or my feelings out, either?