A Big Sis

Sixteen days ago there was only one baby residing in this house.  Sure, another was hanging out in the womb & savoring those last few hours of perpetual warmth & nourishment, but only one baby was actually walking the halls of the Wallace abode & claiming it for herself.  Reagan.  Our first.  The beloved little creature we welcomed into our lives 21 months ago that has rocked our world & taught us a whole new level of love & patience & patience & did I mention, patience?  I still call her "my baby".  Every morning I greet her in her crib with an exuberant, "good morning, baby!!"  In response to her persistent cries of "mommy, mommy", I'll say, "yeah, baby?"  And it's not just me.  She's a pro when it comes to reciting names of family members & the members of our animal kingdom, but when I point to her & ask her name, she always replies "babeee" (in that adorable high pitch, sort-of-a-question type tone). 

Sure, throughout my pregnancy I thought about how different life was gonna be with two.  I knew Reagan would somehow have to adjust to not being the center of our universe anymore.  She would have to adjust to sharing mommy & daddy with this new addition to the family.  And those that know Reagan were largely apprehensive of how this adjustment would go.  For those that haven't met her, let's just say she has a mind of her own.  Laid-back & easy-going are not adjectives you'd use to describe her.  She's independent, stubborn & mischevious & she's been this way since birth.  And we love every single sassy ounce of her.

Then September 16th was upon us & something magical happened.  Reagan grew up before our very eyes.  What was supposed to be a 2-day sabbatical with Mimi (Grandma Atchison) turned into a week long shuffling between friends & family.  The 6 days I spent in the hospital felt like an eternity for an obvious multitude of reasons, one of which was the separation from my Reagan.  For me it was torture, like having my fingernails ripped off one by one, & I kept wondering if she thought I had abandoned her.  "Where's that woman that typically greets me every morning & tries to make me eat vegetables & chastises me when I hit the dogs?" is what I envisioned her thinking.  I just knew she was a mess like her mama.  Boy, did she prove me wrong.

Reportedly, she went from house to house & person to person like a champ.  No crying, no tantrums, just an "OK, I'm totally gonna go with the flow" type attitude. I had completely underestimated her.  But I still knew the worst was yet to come.  She was gonna implode when we finally brought Reese home.  No more "Mr. Nice Baby".  Boy, did she prove me wrong again.  The transition was seamless.  One minute she went from sharing the house with only her 4-legged friends to sharing it with a being that we loved as passionately as we loved her.  Her sister was home & there was no jealously, no evil glances, just acceptance.  Acceptance & more importantly, love.  I have no idea how this precocious, almost 2-year old drama queen came to such an easy realization that Reese was now forever intertwined in our lives.  Maybe it's the instant bond of sisterhood, or just nature's way of allowing families to expand without drama, but it was heavenly.  And now it's all about the kisses...