in a flash.

Post bath, Delaney is wrapped in an orange & yellow hooded bath towel and cradled in my arms. I kiss any stray water drops on her cheeks and blow a raspberry on her neck just to get a giggle from her. An open-mouth belly-laugh reveals four teeth (two on top, two on bottom) and three specks of teeth threatening to surface. As we head out of the bathroom I catch a glimpse of the two of us in the bathroom mirror. Her feet dangle out of the towel, her legs have grown too long to stay completely covered. Suddenly, she looks much bigger. She will be a year old in a few weeks.

Clay & I had always hoped for two kiddos. We were lucky, our wishes came true. Two healthy, vibrant little girls. Our family is balanced, full. We have been blessed. So, I find myself feeling a bit guilty. I am wishing for more. Now I wish time would slow down. My babies are quickly growing-up, too quick. And I am caught off-guard with a bit of heart ache. When did I become a mom of a four-year-old & a one-year-old? Two little girls. Screaming & laughing. Making messes. Hugging & kissing. Struggling to share. And they love each other. They love me.


I am with them everyday - dress their little bodies, brush their teeth, feed them, play, talk, hold them in my arms. But once in a while, my selfish wish is granted and time slows for a split second. Only then do I actually "see" them. How they have changed, how they have grown. I realize Emme has my lips. Delaney has my hands. Emme has a little scar on her cheek from a milk pimple when she was a few months old. Delaney's right ear lobe has an extra little dip (like a indiscreet ruffle). Emme's hair color is beginning to resemble mine when I was her age. Delaney's eyes remind me of my mom's mom. It's the little discoveries that pacify my heart when it begins to ache. And the realization that no matter how much they grow, these two little girls will always belong to me.

neighbors.

It was our usual evening roundy-round to get big sis to comply with the bedtime must-dos. Clay was whooped. I was whooped. Delaney sounded her final warning cry that we were about to miss that go-to-sleep-without-struggle window. Then Emme wandered into Delaney's room just as D & I were about to cozy up in the rocker.

I thought Emme moseyed in for a goodnight smooch. Instead she leaned in close to Delaney and whispered in her ear, "Hey little sis. It's time for night-night. You'll be just fine. I live right next door. If you need anything at all, you just holler. Remember, I live next door. See you in the morning."


It's reassuring to know your neighbor's got your back :)