thankful

I'm not going to lie. There are days that go by where I do forget to thank God for these precious gifts (at least, consciously). When I am shell-shocked from the pure difficulty that is keeping two tiny humans alive and mostly happy. The hard days full of tantrums, tears, hangry screams and, more recently, guilt that I am not picking up the second child or talking to him enough or feeding him enough or
snuggling him enough or spending enough one on one time, looking into his eyes, like I did with his sister. But here is also the reality: he has a gift I could not give my oldest - the kisses, the sometimes overly-aggressive hugs and squeezes, the making him smile even bigger than sometimes even I can, the climbing up into his crib and snuggling right up next to him. I forget, sometimes, that it is as if he has two mamas, one who feeds him, and one more his size. Sure, her dad and I set some of the example for her, but so much of her affection for him comes naturally, purely from her God-gifted heart. And I see him respond to her in such a way that he doesn't respond to anyone else - she delights him so much. So here, right now, I am thankful for the gift of each of these children. And here, right now, I am thankful for the gift they are to each other. My hope, always, is that they will be the kind of friends who would have chosen each other even without the compulsory bond of siblinghood. And friends, it's off to a very good start.