winding down

Ahhh! It's so nice to be home. Christmas was really nice. The baby was so sweet and so good throughout all the new surroundings, new arms holding her, and all the noise, but I think she's glad to be home too. She always grows up a little with the new stimulation from being away from home and so this morning we have really noticed a difference. She woke up flashing us smile after smile and, for the first time, started really making little talking noises! We've been waiting for this but every time up until now, what has seemed like promising talking has just been a prelude to outright crying. This morning she repeated the same coos followed by smiles! Her smiles are so sweet. They start out little and end with a huge, open mouth grin. We can't seem to catch it on film yet. Hopefully soon. The picture above is what I see, looking down at Paige after she falls asleep nursing after her bath. It's so sweet.

Right now she is sleeping soundly in her swing, catching up with her familiar routine. Ainsleigh caught up on some sleep too. She loved spending time with family and could probably keep going with no sleep at all, but is much less grouchy now that she has slept in. It's been so nice to be together, with Tim off work the last few days. We're adjusting more to Paige and she is growing up enough to be happier and a little more predictable so I'm not really ready for his vacation time to be over, but I guess it all must end at some point. On to 2009. I am so not ready for that.

moments

The pride of a big sister. I kind of remember that myself, being a "big sister" to two siblings. I don't really remember Meghan as a baby, but I remember the day my parents brought Carly home from the hospital. I remember hopping down off the school bus and the driver (this really nice old lady who just recently passed away....yeah, my hometown is small so I can keep tabs on things like that) saying, "So I hear you have a new baby sister at your house today!" and my response being, "Yeah...and a new swingset."

I think I was actually really excited, but it kind of faded when baby Carly seemed to do nothing but cry all the time, especially if anyone other than my mom was holding her. That was so hard because here I was, old enough to want to help out and hold this beautiful little toy...I mean baby, but she didn't seem to like me very much. Or anyone other than my Mom for that matter.

Ainsleigh is experiencing this feeling right now. I keep telling her it will get better as Paige gets older. Still, we have moments like the one I got to capture above that make up for some of it. I'm pretty happy with my baby sister these days although we had our moments growing up, as bossy big sisters and annoying little sisters go. I miss her like crazy when she's on the other side of the planet and there is a part of me that only my sisters know. I'm excited to see what stories these girls will have to tell as they grow up. I'm thinking some of them will involve me, and probably not always in the most positive light (sorry Mom), but they will be their stories and I can't really control how they remember everything! Lots of memories of me sitting in the chair, rocking and feeding. That will be Christmas with Paige, year #1. I can hear Ainsleigh telling it now...