sisterly bonds

Jovie Praise, June 2018

This baby, ya'll.  She is the sweetest.  We are hoping her current personality is telling of what to expect in the future.  She is so laid back and chill, which will pair well with her sister's fiery self.  The past almost six months haven't been easy, to say the least.  Lots of adjustments in every way.  We have recently reached a stage where Allie is getting more jealous of the attention we give Jovie.  If you're a parent of multiple kiddos I'm sure you can relate.  If Jovie is being held, suddenly Allie needs to be held, and she's pretty desperate about it.  She can go from perfectly happy to an escalating cry in a matter of seconds because she sees the slightest attention being given to someone else.  We were certainly expecting this at some point, but that doesn't make it easy.  All this to say, an incredibly and purely sweet moment unfolded today in the midst of some rough ones, and it gave me hope.

I was in the floor holding Jovie on my lap, and Allie came over wanting me to hold her, too.  I sat Indian-style and held each babe on each leg, with one arm around each.  I rocked them both side to side and started singing.  Almost immediately, Jovie put her little hand up on Allie's back and started patting it.  Allie turned quickly to look at her, surprised.  She then looked up at me and I said, "Look, Allie, Jovie loves you."  She sat quietly for awhile while I finished the song.  Then she slid off my lap and turned toward Jovie.  I thought for sure she was going to ask me to put Jovie down or start whining about something, but slowly she reached her hand over and started gently patting Jovie's back and rubbing her head.  I was floored by this reciprocal moment of affection between them.  It was evident that Jovie's actions melted Allie's walls enough for her to want to show her love back.  I was so thankful to witness such a beautiful moment between sisters.

Allie and Jovie, June 2018

Is solace anywhere more comforting than that in the arms of a sister? - Alice Walker