Sweet Baby Sister

Dear Sweet Baby Sister,

I have spoiled you, sweet baby, and I can't apologize.  I hold you way too much.  Selfishly, I indulge in your sweet baby smell and your warmth, as I'm so afraid that you are going to be my last chance at snuggling a little one.  You love it, though.  Just like your biggest sister, you love to snuggle, and although I may regret my actions when you get a little bigger, I'm enjoying every minute of holding you now.

You laugh out loud when your sisters show you attention.  You also laugh when you get a clean diaper, almost like a sigh of relief.

Personality and size wise, you are most like your oldest sister.  You look just like her, too!  We know you are your own girl, though, and can't wait until your true personality starts to shine!

To My Oldest Girl

To my oldest girl,

You keep me on my toes.  You are easy to please and hard to make happy all at the same time.  You are a creature of habit and like to do things the same exact way every time.

You are so grown up that I often forget you are just a little girl.  You are a realist and often very serious, just like your momma.  You do know how to let go and have a good time, too.

Lately, you have been singing and dancing like a you are a professional.  You are obsessed with anything biblical (stories, books, movies).  You love doing art projects and writing letters to your friends.

Against your daddy's better judgement, I spoil you with attention.  I can't help myself.  You aren't a baby anymore, and pretty soon you won't be a little girl anymore either.  I fear the day that your response to my question, "who's your best friend" is not "of course, you momma."  So, I'm soaking in all the love I can get while it is free-flowing.

You really enjoy playing with your little sister; when she is not pulling your hair, of course.  You play family and dress up with her, and she tags along behind you just happy to have your attention.  You love to hold your baby sister.  I can't turn my head for even a second because you will pick her up even though you know that is against the rules.

You love bath time, but only when momma does it because I'm more "careful" about not getting water in your eyes than your daddy.  Bedtime has gotten a lot easier, as you are finally willing to go to sleep when I tell you to without putting up a fight.

You are becoming more independent, which makes me proud and sad all at the same time.  You no longer cry when I drop you off at school.  You prefer to pick your own clothes in the morning.  You like to listen to "children's music" in the car.

You define the days of the week by what you get on those days; i.e. Monday you get to use the iPad, Friday you get to stay up past bedtime

You like anything "fancy," and what constitutes fancy sometimes surprises me.  You are most certainly a girly-girl, however you are not afraid to get dirty.  Every afternoon you come home to water the flowers you planted with daddy.

You got your first cavity today, and I feel like I failed you as a momma.

I hear my words coming from your mouth and it knocks me out of my seat sometimes.  You are too smart for your own good.

You know how beautiful you are and I pray that you never have even an ounce of self doubt.

You are stubborn, but adorable and hilarious!

Dearest Middle

Dear Middle Sister,

I have a special place in my heart for you, as I, too, am a middle sister.  And, let me tell you, I have a pretty severe case of middle child syndrome.

You, sweet middle, do not let your big or little sisters overshadow you.  You laugh and cry loudly, always making your presence known.  You play well with your big sister, but only on your terms.  You also play well by yourself, which gives your middle-child momma hopes that you will be more independent than she is.  You have just started really noticing your baby sister.  You love to play patty-cake with her, tickle her, and give her hugs.

You have started showing interest in the potty, and sorry big girl, momma's just not ready for that yet.  You finally had your word explosion!  You talk and sing, but don't get frustrated when we can't understand you.  And, you frequently use the word no, making a cute/funny scrunched nose face when you say it.

Like your Daddy, you fear nothing.  When you fall you get right back up.

When we drive past the park you say "wee" for the slides.  When you see a balloon you say "whoa."

You LOVE school.  Every morning you put on your "ba-pa" (backpack) and prance into the school like a big girl.  You greet everyone you walk past with a deep voiced, drawn out, twangy, "heyyy."  You wave bye-bye without looking back, which makes your momma proud and sad all at the same time.

Just like your momma and my big sis, I think you are going to be taller than your big sister.  Your measurements from the doctor are higher, and at 18 months, you are wearing the clothes that she wore at 2 1/2 years old.  Daddy and I try not to compare you to your big sister.  We know you are your own person... you remind us of that every day!

You are fun loving, playful, hilarious, and just plain cute.  Just as an 18month old should be!

3 and 18 months

Poor Mae Mae, the middle child always has to share the spotlight!

Mae Michael turned 18 months on April 5th.  She is so funny these days.  She has FINALLY had her word explosion and talks non-stop.  We can't always understand her, but she knows what she is saying!  She is very good at following instructions, and does exactly what you ask her to do.  She definitely knows the word "no," and uses it frequently.  Hannah never went through this phase, so this is a new one for us!  She still LOVES the bath, is a fabulous eater, and is great at nap/bedtime (again, exact opposite from her big sis).  She has a major mullet, and I have no intention of cutting it until she turns two!

At 18 months, Mae Michael weighs 27 lbs and 4 oz.  She is 37 inches tall.  This puts her at 95th percentile in height and just under 90th percentile in weight.  She is wearing anything from a size 18mos to 2T, but mostly 24mos clothes.

Also on April 5th, Ruthie turned three months.  She is a sweet baby who rarely cries and loves to be held.  She smiles when she gets a dry diaper, and laughs at her big sisters.  She is not sleeping through the night yet, ugh.  She still wakes up twice during the night (both big sisters had been sleeping through the night for weeks at this age).  I'm hoping when we start cereal next month she will sleep longer!  She is just starting to outgrow her NB clothes, but the 3 mos clothes are still a little big.  No weight check this month!