Our New Now

So much now, to reflect on, as the last few months have brought with them big changes. Our most precious gift, our baby girl, Rose Annmarie, entered our world on November 16, 2009 at 10:13 in the morning. The days leading up to her arrival were chaotic, and today, I'm glad to say, they are a distant past. Packing, moving, pregnancy, birth. All in a week. WHEW! Glad for it to be over. We are in our new home, and life feels complete. As I bear witness to this new life, and observe my 27 month old babe don her big sister aura, I feel humbled by the beauty of it all. My girls are perfect. Our life is complete. Nothing could be better.

Rosie is a beautiful, sensitive, adoring baby girl. Upon seeing her eyes for the first time, I was brought back centuries: she has an old soul. Her immediate need to nestle and nurse, burrow and cuddle, connected us in a way that only a mama and her babe know how. At 11 weeks old, we have started to figure one another out....she really makes it simple. She wants us, all of us. She watches her big sister Julia, run around the room, scream and laugh, giggle and dance. She takes it all in, and most recently awards Jules with toothless grins and discerning baby giggles. We are all so totally smitten with Rosie Posie..we all fall down!

Julia's personality is, as it always was, inquisitive, empathic, care-free and genuine. She has welcomed her baby sister into our world, sharing her mama's lap, allowing her daddy to have eyes for a new little button. Her sweet blue eyes watch us, watch Rosie. She is learning patience, and embracing the new us.

There were days in the first 6 weeks that we all cried...Rosie, me and Jules. I wondered how I could be all to them both...where is the time going to come from? How will I provide for them? Will I be able to be their everything, when I feel like I know nothing! And, in recognizing this, I realize it's about being present: being in the moment, that matters most. Gotta let the rest go. We, their parents, are the everything and anything that matters to these two little people, and we, are so blessed, to be able to witness their understanding of this world.

Julia's talking about anything and everything, and her expressions and understanding of language is so much fun to be a part of. She is polite ("Thank you Mommy!" "Thank you Daddy"- we heard this over and over again after Christmas this year..thank you for my toys!!!") she is a parrot ("Ill be RIGHT back! Gimme a second...Are you hungry, Mommy?") and she is a dreamer. She loves her baby dolls, endearingly named Sascha, and then the rest, those are just the babies....She nurses them (Rosie eats boob, Sascha eats boob!), rocks them, feeds them, burps them. Loves them enough. She is a good mommy. She watches her baby sister intently: she reads to her and sings to her, and talks to her all day. She asks about her (eyes wide open Mommy? in a questioning voice) and is trying to understand her. I think about their life together, as young girls, as teenagers, as women starting their own lives. I can't wait to have grown-up conversations with them both, but, am so enjoying our little girl lives.

And a little girl life it is- we are a dress-up, nail painting, baby doll wearing family. Jason is surely outnumbered, but he is so desperately in love with his baby girls, he reckons this is perfection.

I certainly think it is.