The Most Amazing Thing I've Seen

As a mom, I have been amazed countless times by the things my daughters have done.  There are the sweet things that amaze me like the first time they smiled at me or coo'd in response to something I said.  There are the gross things that amaze me like projectile spit-up that lands on the floor a foot and a half behind me.  And there are milestone things that amaze me like listening to Juliet sing her ABCs for the first time by herself or seeing Anna begin to really focus her eyes on objects across the room.

But none of those things compares to the wonder and amazement I felt today as I watched Anna and Juliet truly interact with each other for the first time.  They were so plainly playing together that it was just ... well, amazing.  It felt like I was watching something miraculous unfold.  I know that seems dramatic, but it's truly how I felt.  For months, Juliet has poked and prodded at Anna and gotten no response.  But today, Anna responded.

I had both girls on the bed to get the weekly #MonthOfSundays picture.  Anna was her usual cooperative self, and Juliet was her usual crazy toddler self.  Anna began "talking," and Juliet thought it was funny, so she started laughing and getting in Anna's face.  Anna then began squawking at Juliet.  I managed to capture some of it with my phone before I had to stop Juliet from playing too rough.

I think that to most people, it may sound like Anna was mad.  But she wasn't.  Her mad cry is different: louder, longer, and a different pitch.  This truly was her talking back to her big sister.  And I didn't get it on video, but she would smile in between the squawks and would watch for Juliet to come back to her.  It was just so very, very cool to watch her play like that.  I love that she hollered back at her sister, who seems to be hollering a lot these days. 

I hope and pray that these two will have a lifetime of these moments together: playing and laughing hysterically.  It can be hard to have a good relationship with your siblings, especially if you and your siblings are too different or too alike.  But I want to do all that I can to nurture Juliet and Anna's relationship.  They will likely fight tooth and nail with each other as they grow up.  That's fine.  It's normal.  But I want them to face the world together, stick up for each other, and be each other's safe place.  I think that if I can teach them to respect each other, even if they end up very different, they'll be okay.

I so wish Ray had been here to share this moment with me.  But, if he was home, I probably wouldn't have pulled the girls onto the bed, so maybe this wouldn't have happened.  So in that case, I'm grateful for his absence as it allowed to me to be amazed by my children.

"This is so fun, Mommy!"

It looks like they're glaring at each other, but my phone seems to always capture the most unflattering expressions.