Girls

From the minute I found out I was pregnant the third time around, I knew I was having girls. I felt different. I was just so sick, but that was fine because I was ready for some female companionship in my house. The second they arrived, it was something totally new. There were mounds of pink laundry to be folded, bracelets on the dresser and headbands and bows in the drawers. And it wasn't just the gear was a new hue. They came wired differently than my boys. And they still are. They are sweet and gentle with their dolls. They love my makeup, shoes, bags, glitter, necklaces, are obsessed with earrings and are constantly changing their clothes. They never pretend their fingers are guns, they do not wrestle, or love cars, they hardly ever pick up a ball and only when they can not find their babies will they venture into the toy closet that is filled with boy things. Even then they soon find their way back to their kitchen and strollers.

Even though I've gotten used to the fact that I have baby girls after a lifetime of boys, it hit me the other day while at Hobby Lobby browsing picture frames that my little girls are sisters. I know that's like a "DUH!" statement, but I don't know what it is like to have a sister. And I really can't imagine having a sister that is your twin. Yes, they don't look a think alike, but they will share their entire lives together. To have someone else to share a room, or clothes or boy talk or secrets with is something of a mystery to me.

The idea of what having a sister is like is still something I can't fathom. When I was little and my mom was expecting I prayed every night that the new baby would be a girl. But by the time the 3rd boy arrived, I understood some of the advantages being the only girl could bring, but every now and then I would wonder how my life would have been different if I had shared it with another girl.

And though I watch them everday, I'm still amazed with the fact that they are sisters. Just like my girls won't be able to comprehend not having one. And I like that. I like that it can be a good thing for all of us. I adore and appreciate my little bits of pink more than I could have imagined probably because I had to wait nearly 30 years for them to arrive. And they will always have a best friend. Always.Even at Brynn and Katilyn's young age, they love to be together. And I can't tell you how happy that makes me. It's truly delightful. If one wakes up before the other and I come in and pick them up hoping to let the other sleep, the second I put them down they race back to the room to find their other half. They sit and feed each other pretend food, help each other when their strollers get stuck and find outfits for the other to wear. They trade shoes and hair clips and bottles. It's strange to find one without the other. They are two peas in a pod. And I hope that lasts forever. They'll never have to walk into a new school alone or ride a bus and not have someone to sit with. They'll always have some one to double date with to cry or laugh with. They will always have that unquie bond that twin sisters must share.

Yes, I never did get that sister I prayed for but I have always had my mom. She has been my best friend throughout my life and I wouldn't change that for anything. We spent three weeks together in Europe when I finished my junior year of high school. We ran with each other for years before school. We even got to run errands and hit Cafe Rio together every Monday when Trey was a baby. She was my confidante, my strength, my rock and still is. You see with her I never felt lonely or left out about girly things at any time in my life.

So over the years when we have girl ups and downs and drama and angst, I am happy to know through it all that I will always be special to my baby girls because I'm their mom. Because we need our moms every day no matter if we are itty bitty or fully grown. And if there are times during their teenage years when maybe I feel like the sister bond is a bit stronger than the one between mother and daughter, thankfully my mom will always be there for me. That's the beauty of girlfriends. They are always there when you need them, especially if they are also your family. Thank heavens for girls, big and small!

I love you Mom and Brynn and Kaitlyn! Thanks for making me so happy every day of my life!