Sibling Bonds Over At Moonfrye

My third post went live over at Moonfrye yesterday!

I'm sharing a little mom-confession regarding my initial wish for another girl the second time around. I'd love for you to hop over and check out my story of sibling bonds and the love between a sister and brother. It was one of my favorite posts to write, and I hope you enjoy it too!

Sibling Bonds on MoonFrye

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Wordless Wednesday: Sibling Love

It's a good thing this is Wordless Wednesday because I can't even tell you how much this melted my heart at snack time today!

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Sibling Love/Mommy Brain Mixer

*Happy Thursday everyone! I'm excited to be co-hosting the Mommy-Brain Mixer this week, which is a blog hop hosted by the lovely Jelli and Cassie.*

One of my favorite things about having two children so close in age is watching them grow together and learn to love each other. At 1 and almost 3 years they truly do just adore each other. (I know this won't last so I'm soaking of up every minute that I can!)

Stephanie's new favorite thing to do is say "Hey Joseph, come play in my room with me!" He'll jump up and toddle after her and they'll spend time in there playing together. Or they'll sit down and read books together, Stephanie "reading" as Joseph looks on.

Since they share a room, they typically wake around the same time, but Joseph wants to get right out of his crib while Stephanie chooses to hang around lounging in bed. I go into the kitchen and make Joseph his milk, but he won't take it and walk away unless I make Stephanie's too. Once I do, he'll grab it out of my hands and run into her room to bring it to her.

Yup, not even 3 years old and she's already got somebody bringing her her morning milk in bed. (I wonder if I could train him to bring mommy her coffee in bed...)

Their childhood is rushing by so fast that I really try to take a moment and relish these moments. To pause and smile as I witness these acts of sibling love. They are so sweet together and I'm so happy that they love each other as much as they do.

They spent all morning yesterday walking around holding hands! So precious :)

*I'd love to be friends on Facebook! Come "Like" A Baby Makes Four :) 


Welcome to the Mommy-Brain Mixer! So happy you're here. One of our favorite things to do is to share stories about motherhood and our littles. At the Mommy-Brain Mixer, we invite your to share about anything and everything motherhood! Link up your funny posts, serious posts, sweet & sappy stories, mommy-brain episodes, memories from when your older children were younger, lessons learned, and anything related to motherhood or little people. This is a perfect place to find great blogs to follow, make wonderful new blog friends, and enjoy entertaining reads!

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Link on up, Ladies!

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Things I'm Loving About Motherhood

Sometimes I take a moment to pause and think "I love that this is happening right now!" Or "I love this stage, and I might not even realize when it's over, so I need to commit it to memory." Here are a few of those things:

-Joseph's squeals of delight when he sees me after I've been gone for so so long (typically sneaking into the bathroom by myself for a full two minutes.)

-Stephanie singing songs she's learned at school, that I recognize from my pre-mommy days teaching at that same school. (It's like my past and present are colliding. It's strange...but nice!)

-The way Joseph cuddles up to me every single time I pick him up.

-Stephanie's "I just need to hug you mom!"

-Watching Joseph eat an entire apple in one sitting.

-Morning cuddles in bed. We go in every morning to wake up Dan for work, and the four of us spend a few moments all together. The kids bounce around and giggle together while Dan and I watch them with huge smiles stretched across our faces.

-Listening to Stephanie have full-blown conversations with her cousin. (And Joseph. Although those are more one-sided.)

-Watching Joseph beam with pride as he walks all over the apartment.

-Seeing Stephanie light up every time she catches sight of our building's housekeeper. She adores him, and has epic conversations whenever we leave our apartment and catch him on his break. (She also yells out the window at him to stop smoking because smoking is gross. We're teaching her early!)

I can't begin to describe how much I love this little family that Dan and I have created. Some days are hectic and hustle bustle, and I write on Facebook about how I can't wait for them to end so I can relax with some wine. But despite that, I wouldn't trade this time of my life for anything. (Even though there are still sleepless nights, tons of whining and tantrums, arguments, etc.) I'm taking a step back and trying to appreciate each of these small moments of happiness and joy. Because in the time it takes me to blink, they'll be all over!

What are you enjoying about your life right at this moment?

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Sibling Love

*I'm linking up over at Two in Diapers today! Come on over and check out all the stories of Motherhood in this week's edition of the Mommy-Brain Mixer! 

My eyes didn't want to open but I forced them to. I could see the early morning light shining behind the closed blinds. The fan was whirring, and the white noise from the kids' room was coming through the monitor. I didn't hear crying though. What woke me up?

Then I heard it again. A soft whisper, barely audible through the baby monitor. 

"Joseph! Wake up Joseph!"

Then again, a little louder this time. Next was rustling, and a quiet baby squeal. Then bouncing crib springs, and full on baby giggles followed by toddler squeals.

I laid in bed and just listened to them. They laughed and jumped and chatted. Nobody cried, nobody called out for me. They entertained each other. 

As I stretched out and woke up gradually, I found myself smiling from ear to ear. The love that the two of them have for each other is sweet, simple and beautiful. She is his hero, he is her baby. They share an unbreakable bond, and as Joseph grows it gets stronger and stronger. 

I see it throughout the day too, in the little moments. The times she cheers for him as he takes steps. The hugs and kisses she bestows on him for no reason. The way he follows her around, crawling as fast as he can to try and catch up. The way his face lights up and he grins ear-to-ear when she enters the room. 

They are my babies, but they have a relationship separate from me. This relationship will grow and alter as the years go on. They might not always worship each other the way they do now, but for as long as it lasts, I will relish it.

Some people told me I didn't know what I was getting into by having the two of them so close together. They warned me about the challeneges two under two and two in diapers would bring. But nobody mentioned the amazing and positive aspects of having them so close. The fact that they'll never know a life without each other in it. They will grow up together, protecting each other and always having someone to play with and argue with.

I get to watch them as their relationship changes and grows, and that warms my heart and makes me feel like the luckiest mommy in the world. Are they close in age? Yes. Are the day-to-day aspects of that a challenge? Often, yes. Would I change their age difference if I could? Not in a million years! 

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Joseph's 8 Month Letter

Dear Joseph,

                                                      Happy 8 Month Birthday!

 Ok, so it was actually almost 2 weeks ago that you turned 8 months, but we've had a lot going on and I hope you'll forgive me for being late with your letter.

This month your personality has really shone through. You love to smile at everyone, but when you meet someone you've never met or don't see regularly you bury your head in my shoulder and peek out bashfully. You crawl all over our apartment on your tummy, which seems like so much more work than crawling on all fours!

I took you on your first trip to the sea-wall to see the ocean this month. You loved it! Now that you sit forward facing in the stroller you can see everything when we go on walks, and you get such a kick out of watching the world around you.

You still love to eat, and have just started on real table food. You have cheerios every morning, and have tried blueberries, strawberries, avocado and watermelon. You gobble up everything we give you, and demand more. I'm so glad to see you're turning into an awesome eater, just like your sister.

I think the most amazing news from this month is that you finally, finally FINALLY sleep! We put you to bed between 7 & 8 and you only wake up once, maybe twice during the night. All you need is a quick pacifier pop-in, and you're right back to sleep. I can't thank you enough for this gift. I feel like a functioning member of society again, and the cloud of sleeplessness that has hung over our house for 7 months has finally disappeared. 

You love your big sister so much, and follow her wherever she goes. You also love to try and hold her hand or touch her arm while the two of you are riding together in the double stroller. (She, on the other hand, is not so thrilled with this, and has a habit of letting you know her displeasure. Loudly.) I love watching the interaction between the two of you, even if it isn't always a pleasant experience. The two of you are siblings, and that little bit of fighting is peppered in with the love that you two have with each other. Stephanie gives you hugs and kisses and will you toys or your pacifier when you're upset. Watching the two of you together makes me so happy.

Thank you for another wonderful month of being your mommy. Time is going so fast, and every day you grow and learn at a rapid pace. I get such joy out of spending my days with you, and your hugs and cuddles make everything better at the end of a long, hard day. I love you so much little one.

Love,
Mommy

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Sibling Love

Last Friday was a long day alone with the kids. After dinner, I put Joseph under his play-gym, let Stephanie sit on the couch to watch a Baby Einstein video, and curled up in our plush blue armchair with my book. (I like to try and read in front of my kids a little bit each day so that they see how much I love it, and will grow up with an appreciation of books. With all the interruptions, I tend to re-read the same paragraph over and over without really comprehending it, but at least i'm putting on a good front.)

As I sat there not really reading, I watched Stephanie slowly slide off the couch. She sat on the floor for a moment, and then crawled over to baby Joseph. She got up on her knees and watched him quietly. Then she ever so gently laid down next to him under the gym. After a minute or two she reached over and rubbed his belly, gave him a little kiss, then got up and crawled back to the couch.

This entire scenario only lasted a few minutes, but it was the highlight of my week. It perfectly captured the love that exists between brother and sister. My hyper, energetic, and often un-social toddler showed me the peaceful, calm, and loving big sister that exists under the surface. I felt my eyes well up with tears, and my heart swell with pride.  The fact that she did this all on her own, with no prompting or prodding from me made it even more special. 

 All too often my first instinct is to interfere. To say "Be gentle! Be careful!" "Watch his head!"

Or I will try to force their interactions. "Give Joseph a kiss." "Look, Joseph is smiling at you!" These prompts are often met with a resounding "No!" But when she thought my attention was elsewhere, she every so carefully spent a precious moment interacting with her little brother. What a great lesson for me to step back and observe, and let the two of them have their time together without mommy always being in the way. 

I know that there will come a time when the two of them don't always get along. They will fight, as all siblings do. But I hope that there are always these moments of calm between them. The love and support of a sibling is an amazing thing to grow up with, and I am so happy that my children will have each other to lean on through the years.

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We have "Kids"

Last night Dan and I were having a conversation. I can't remember what we were talking about, or even the exact sentence, but at one point he said something about our kids. Then he said "Wow. We have kids. Not just a baby, or a toddler, but kids. As in, more than one. Wow."

I think that it's just now hitting us that we are a family of four. The dust has begun to settle, the newness has worn off, and we've adjusted to the fact that this is our life now. We have two amazing, beautiful children that God has blessed us with, and we're really feeling like a family unit. It is definitely challenging, and I so wish I had appreciated how easy it was when I only had one child, but I wouldn't trade having two for anything in the world.

One of my favorite parts of being a Mommy-of-two is watching the interaction between Stephanie and Joseph. Since he is three weeks old now (OMG how did that happen??), he is awake and alert much more than he was  before. He watches everything and takes it all in, and I love when his eyes focus on his sister as she whirls in and out of his line of vision. I look at it as a preview of things to come. At every stage of his life, she will be there, and he will learn from her (both good things and bad) and look up to her.

Stephanie is also enamored with her little brother. The first thing she asks for in the morning is Baby Joseph. (It used to be Daddy...clearly, he takes second place now.) When he burps she says "Excuse you Baby Joe-Joe", when he sneezes she says "Bless You Baby Joe-Joe", and when he cries she either says "It's ok!" or "Oh no, Paci Mommy!" (Meaning she wants me to put his Paci back in his mouth.) She loves to point out his head, hair, hands, and feet. When i'm burping him after a bottle, she'll come up and rub his back. She is so loving towards him, which makes my heart burst with pride and happiness.

I know that things between the two of them will not always be so sweet and loving. They will grow up and have fights and arguments. They will yell at each other, slam doors, tattle, and compete like all siblings do. But my hope for them is that, despite all of that, they will grow up loving one another, and be there for each other always. And in the meantime, I am absolutely embracing and enjoying the sweet moments between the two of them. Our kids.

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