Sisters

Looking back on my life, a lot of things seem very clear.  They say that hindsight is 20/20 and it may be a cliche, but it's true. 

I'm not crazy...he actually likes me too.

John and I met and started working together almost eight years ago.  A year after that I was starting to freak out a little bit because I had realized not only that I wanted him to be my best friend, but I also wanted to have his babies.  Lots of them.  Dating, at that point, wasn't even a remote possibility, so you can imagine how strange it was to want to have your cowoker's children.  Luckily, he realized how awesome I was and eventually those babies actually came to be.  We might have only been married for five months when I got pregnant, but in my mind, I had already waited two and  a half years.  I thought I had shown a great deal of restraint.

This kid made (and still makes) the best faces.  EVER.

Anyway, over the years we had mapped out what we thought our family would look like and decided that not only did we want babies....but we wanted lots of them.  At least a baseball team.  And luckily, God brought us Audrey.  And she was incredibly awesome; so fantastic that we decided we had been dead-on with the decision to have kids.  Let's keep going, Thelma!  More babies!!

It was almost frightening.  Have you ever heard of the term baby rabies?  It's like having baby fever...but on crack.  And I had it.  I was actually a little worried that I would never get over the compulsive need to procreate and would eventually end up with my own reality tv show.  Stop laughing.  This really happened.

Sister love.

Anyway, 18 months later, Bailey made her appearance and she, too, was awesome.  It could not be denied.   And all I wanted at that point was for my girls to grow up together and have each other.  Eventually, the complete feeling of our little foursome made me realize that we didn't need to have a baseball team to be happy.  Ever since that miraculous change of heart, all I've wanted is to foster a good relationship between my girls. Growing up with my sister and knowing both sides of being her mortal enemy and now best friend...I just want my girls to be best buds.  The hair pulling and screaming and fighting over wardrobe items is inevitable, but mostly, I want them to love each other.  Unconditionally.  Just like I love them.

When Bailey was a baby, we used to talk about: "Someday, these girls will be old enough to play together".  "Someday, they'll have each other's backs".  And you know what?  That day is now.

It has taken seven years to come from the shocking realization that all I wanted out of life was for John to be the father of my children to finding that place where we feel absolutely complete. 

Audrey and Bailey have started playing together.  They've played around each other and shared toys and said 'please' and 'thank you'....but now they are playmates.  They wrestle around on the ground tickling each other and laughing.  They encourage each other in the milestones they reach.  They play chase and ring-around-the-rosie.  Audrey reads to Bailey and they occasionally hold hands while wandering around the house. 

How could that not make me complete? 

Well, they took it to another level this week. 

Bailey has been potty training for several months and we were almost to the point that I was feeling comfortable having her in undies and knowing she knew what she was doing. 

...they always wait until you're comfortable to throw a wrench in the works.

Enter:  The most akward parenting experience I've ever had (and I'm including Audrey's notorious turd on the floor incident) 

Bailey peed on our friends couch.  And not like: "Whoops I had an accident", but like: "Hey, did someone spill a pitcher of water over here?".  What do you do? 

Well, first you apologize a lot. 

A LOT.

Then you go change your kid out of her pee-soaked clothes and, while your at it, you put both of your kiddos in their jammies because it's already an hour after their bed time and you still have to figure out what to do about the pee.

So, while I'm in the bathroom getting the girls changed, Audrey comes to me and says: "Mama, I peed on the couch because I had to go potty."

And at first I thought she actually thought she had an accident and didn't realize it.  So, I explained in depth that her pants were dry...yadda, yadda, yadda.  It was Bailey.  Not her.

But she kept insisting.  She never faltered.  She was taking the blame for her kid sister because she could see how flustered her parents were over the situation.  She wanted to make sure Bailey wasn't punished and was willing to stand in her stead. 

That just blew me away; I wanted my girls to be buddies.  But they're more than that.  They're sisters.  They've got each other's backs.  And that, my friends, points straight to God.  No one else could have fostered that relationship.  I only pray he keeps it going till I'm long gone.  

 And by the way, after your kid pees all over someone's furniture, I recommend getting it professionally cleaned.  Just put that one in the memory bank if you're ever in the same, mortifying situation.