My Girls

My girls are two very different creatures.

Eva has a focused sort of energy. The minute her eyelids pop open in the morning, her feet hit the floor and she is awake for good. She has to be doing something immediately, whether it's watching a movie or coloring or cutting things out. She has to be cajoled into eating breakfast, and stalled from leaving the house at the earliest possible moment to play with her friends (who are probably still sleeping, like Mommy usually wishes she were!) Eva goes non-stop, all day long. She loves her friends and can pull a great teenager impression when she's not allowed to be with them for some reason! (Unfortunately, she has entered a stage where friends carry more weight than siblings, which has been cause for some hurt feelings and tears in our home this summer!)

Isabel, on the other hand, likes to sleep in and take her time waking up. Breakfast is her first item of business as soon as she is fully awake, and she loves cereal (her sister doesn't.) She is also very sociable and eager to play with friends, but she has a tender spot for her siblings as well. She calls Owen "my baby brother" and wishes that he would slow down for a minute and let her hold him. (Definitely wishful thinking where Owen is concerned.) In part due to personality and in part due to her CP, she often lags behind Eva in getting ready to go outside and gets upset at being left behind. Unlike Eva, she eventually wears down and will spend a few quiet minutes relaxing from time to time.

Eva is timid; Isabel is unafraid. Eva is sociable but avoids the limelight in public; Isabel thrives on attention. Eva holds tightly to her things; Isabel would give someone the shirt off her back. Eva is careful and precise; Isabel is free-spirited. Eva's mind can be changed; Isabel's cannot. Eva worries; Isabel goes with the flow. Eva ponder the why's; Isabel questions the how's.

Of course they are alike in some ways. For the most part they are both tenderhearted, kind, fun-loving, smart and sweet. They are my girls, and I love them! I just pray that I can be the kind of mom who understands who they are and can interact with their individual needs as they grow and mature, and that they will feel comfortable sharing their joys and sorrows, large and small with me through the years. I found this poem (author unknown) and felt that it belonged in this post:

Then You Grew

When I held you in my arms for the very first time,
I thought I could never love you more. . . .
but then you grew.

In those precious baby times-- through your first smile,
your first tooth, your first steps,
I thought I could never love you more. . .
but then you grew.

And in those sweet toddler times-- the endless days of curiosity
and adventures and discoveries,
I thought I could never love you more. . .
but then you grew.

And in those wonderful little girl times-- those days of hurt knees and hurt feelings,
of making friends and taking in the world around you,
I thought I could never love you more. . .
but then you grew.

And in those lovely young woman times-- those times of moods
and mysteries, and joys and heartaches,
I thought I could never love you more. . .
but again, you grew.

And still, always, day by day,
you keep growing. . .
more and more beautiful. . .
nearer and dearer to my heart.