I only say part 2 because I’m pretty sure I have another blog post titled “Sisters” so part 2 works. Hubs is off work on Mondays now so when I get home I can tell they’ve been with their daddy all day. The baby doesn’t have pants on…actually, neither does Hannah. No one’s hair has been brushed all day and remnants of food that I or their Nana would wipe off their face remain because that’s how Daddy rolls. Most days though I’m ok with that because I’m grateful that they can be home with their daddy all day. When Hubs went to evenings/nights I was so bummed because I knew that that meant barely seeing him all week but the plus to it was that the girls would be able to be home with him more. Considering the fact that my dad wasn’t around much, I’m big..HUGE on daddy/daughter time. I’m also big on sister time. And while my kids looked a little unkept last night, I took pictures anyway. It’s what I do. It’s our real life and most evenings I swim in it and soak it in. Last night I jumped in head first.

I told a friend recently that I was so ready for a break from my girls. I still mean it, by the way. But it’s not the kind of break that I’ll sit and ponder what kind of job I’m doing as a mom or why I’m even allowed to be a mom and WHO let me be a mom! like most trips away. This time it’s wanting time away from them so I can have time alone with Hubs. Granted, we’re going to see friends with this time BUT it’s still grown up time. I won’t have to think about bottles or diaper bags or breaking up fights over the Nintendo DS. I need this…I need to get away so I can miss those things and appreciate them more. I always miss my babies when I’m gone and while they both have been testing me lately in ways I was NOT prepared for, I’m gonna miss them. I’ll miss the bickering and the fights and Livie tossing and turning all night and kicking me in the face.

I’ll miss watching them together. When Hannah comes downstairs after playing upstairs for a while, Livie’s face lights up. Even if she has full intentions of going over to Hannah to start a fight, she’s excited to see her. It’s like she already knows that that’s her big sister.

Even if she does squirm and cry when I try to get a picture of them together, I can tell she loves her. This past weekend Hannah had a friend over and I left the girls downstairs with the baby for a few minutes to run upstairs and look something up online. I could hear that Hannah’s friend had picked up the baby and the baby was screaming and Hannah was saying “Just put her down. I’ll take her” and when Hannah took her, she stopped crying. I guess she felt that since I wasn’t there, Hannah was the next best thing. And hey, I’ll take that. I think Hannah will too.

That’s not to say that in between the cute pictures there isn’t arguing and fighting between these two because there is. Maybe even more now than before. Livie is 17 months old now and she’s REALLY testing her limits and pushing them. I feel like we’re constantly telling her “No No” and “Don’t touch that” and when she’s finally asleep at night we find ourselves saying outloud “Hannah was NOT this hard, was she?”

She definitely is a lot more independant and more outspoken than Hannah. I know we’re in for it. And that’s ok because we love her. I can’t imagine my life without her and I don’t know how we used to live without her before she came….like I can’t imagine how the 3 of us lived without her. Last night I decided that I’m in love with her profile. It’s perfect and when I look at it I see hints of a 3 year old…or a 5 year old…and not a 17 month old. That, my friends, makes me wanna bawl my eyes out.

I gotta give it to Hannah because she really is a great big sister. She puts up with a lot and gets the shaft a lot because we’re all sick of hearing Livie scream for something. “Hannah, just give it to her.” And she’ll hand over whatever toy she’s playing with to the baby because she loves her, and in her mind, even if she’s NOT happy about it, that’s what a big sister should do. My first baby…my baby that made me a mom…I’m so proud of her. And my 2nd baby who’s understanding more and more and changing every single day…I’m so proud of her.

I’m so proud of them.