A Sister For All Times

When I was pregnant with Hannah, I remember having some apprehension about Carly's reaction to having a younger sibling. Would she be jealous of the time we devoted to her sister? Would she feel left out? Would she act out towards her?

From day one, she has been the devoted big sister to Hannah Jane. When Hannah was only a week old, Carly trekked up to the hospital ICU with us, clutching a gift bag, ready to deliver a special toy to her little sister.

Over the past year, Carly has made Hannah's entire face light up more than anyone else. I don't know if it's the fact that it's another "little person" around, a "little voice" or just the antics of a 3-year-old, but Carly makes Hannah laugh and giggle the most. These are the giggles that tumble over one another--the kind that you want to record and play over and over again. J and I love seeing our girls interact--Carly loving and helpful, Hannah soothed and entertained by her older sister.

Of course, it's not all roses all the time. Usually, it's Carly that gets bent-out-of-shape about Hannah accidentally pulling her hair or pushing an arm into Carly's face (as shown in the picture below) or taking one of Carly's beloved toys. But, things are typically smoothed over quickly.

Just today, I put them both in their beds for naps, and not 15 minutes later, I heard giggling. Then, I heard Carly's little voice followed by gleeful squealing. I walked into their room and saw Carly standing next to Hannah's crib, playing peek-a-boo with her blanket.

Whether it's giving Hannah a stuffed animal, a blanket, a pacifier, dancing for her, eating next to her, playing musical instruments together, holding her, soothing her (that's one of my favorites--hearing Carly at night, "shh, shh, shh"ing in their room if Hannah is crying) or feeding her--Carly loves having a little sister.

Just yesterday, Carly wanted to feed Hannah her morning bottle of milk. It was a bit comical at times, with Hannah craning her neck to see who was holding her, squirming around in the chair, thinking it was play time.

Carly has adopted a new name for her sister, too.

Hannie.

One day, J and I noticed that she was calling Hannah by Hannie. And, I asked her recently, "What's your sister's name?", to which she responded, "Hannie Jane."

To my girls: Carly and Hannah Jane--I pray that you love each other more and more as you grow older, that you embrace one another's uniqueness and encourage one another. Your dad and I are so grateful that you have each other for life's journey.