These Two...
Born only 20 months apart, they no choice but to be close sisters. Over the past four years, it has been my pleasure to watch them become the best of friends. They are simultaneously two peas in a pod and different side of the same coin. They're opposites attract and their similarities mesh. These two are a match made in heaven!
I have always thought that the very best thing I could have ever given them is each other. It is my hope that the joys are greater, the hurts are smaller, and the adventures grander because they are together.
They started swimming lessons on Monday. We chose the class because they could be together. And, as I was hoping, their first class was, yes, a little scary...but mostly just fun, funny, giggly, and full of adventure...because they were together.
But last night, I knew there would be trouble as I watched from across the pool as they inadvertently became separated. The scary parts became more like danger than adventure and Layla all but shut down. There was no giggling as I had seen on Monday. There were tears. And the victories were not celebrated by giggles and high fives...they were instead marked with only sighs of relief.
I watched closely, ready to go and rescue Layla if the distress became too great. But after a little while, I watched as Rayne used her intuition and communication skills to let someone know that she needed to be by her sister; that her sister NEEDED her! And once they were together again, the scary parts were less scary, the fun parts were more giggly, and the victories were more plentiful and more enthusiastically celebrated.
It is my very clear vision that this is how their lives together will be: that as long as they're close by, the world will seem less daunting and more exciting. The hurts will have less power and their victories will have more. Life will be seen as a big adventure, and not a series of tasks. Their bond will provide them with confidence, with courage, and with resilience. I have seen their bond form for the past four years. I have watched as they found a home in each other. As their mother, I will do everything I can to foster and nourish their bond so that it will continue to grow and strengthen. It is one of the best things I could ever give to them!
While Rayne is at school in the mornings and Maya has been taking some consistently healthy naps {cross your fingers}, Layla and I have gotten little daily pockets of time to be together just the two of us. Some days we read, some days we play, and some days we just color. But since we had decided together with Layla that this year wasn't quite the right time to begin preschool, most days we try to do some type of learning activity together. She is enjoying the challenge, the obvious improvement in her scissor skills, and the attention from her mama. I am very much enjoying being a part of her learning and her growth and I'm loving our one-on-one time together. It's been keeping our connection and our mutual understandings strong.
My Maya, my sweet, sweet Maya, has said her first word: "mama"! It's very sweet, very endearing, and very exciting for all of us here in this house. {Dad is a little miffed that he wasn't the object of her phonetic efforts...but happy just the same} She is very proud of herself and her new ability to call to me in a way I most certainly cannot resist. I do have this profession on video for all those who are currently thinking that no 6 1/2 month old could be speaking already {and for those who just want to see her in all her cute glory} and as soon as I get it uploaded I will post it.
She was a shining star! It was clear that all this time she's been watching, the 
