Today one month ago I was laying in bed with our newborn daughter in my arms, marveling at how perfect she was, looking at her big, blue eyes that already took in all the new things around her. Now, one month later, I can believe that already 30 days have passed since that night; on the other hand, I cannot imagine our family ever being without Violet. Even without knowing she enriched all of our lives in so many ways. In those past weeks I could watch Lily growing from an only-child to a big sister, who loves to take on responsibilities and takes care of her little sister. All the doubts we've ever had about how she'd react to the new baby, if there would be any jealousy or other problems have vanished within a couple of days, as we watched Lily being beyond excited about her little sister. She has grown up so much within the last month, way past her 2 years. She loves to help with every diaper change and bath, holds Violet's hands, plays with her little feet, touches her hair and face, and wants to hold her in her arms. She even loves to share her toys with Violet, since she doesn't have many by herself yet. Seeing her like that makes me fall in love even more with my big girl, if that is even possible.
Violet herself has of course changed as well. She has given us the opportunity to get to know her very own personality, which couldn't be more different from Lily's. Trial and error have taught us her likes and dislikes (swaddling and her pacy are her favorites); we know now that she is a very social person, who hates being left alone, even if it's only for a minute. She loves being held and already takes part in conversations. She enjoys observing everything around her and is generally a lot more quiet than Lily ever was. In contrast, she is not in a hurry to move around as Lily was, but is content sitting at a convenient vantage point and look around. We see her being a little book worm one day, who has to be dragged out of the library, while Lily will probably be a lot more outdoorsy and enjoy sports (even though we already know that she also loves to read!).
This past months has also given us the opportunity to grow as parents, a couple, and as individuals. Being a SAHM for now until our move to Germany (and maybe beyond for a little while), I had to learn a whole new set of skills, and it was definitely a situation I had to get used to. Now, I love being able to cuddle with my girls in bed in the morning, prepare breakfast for Lily, cuddle up on the couch with her while nursing Violet, getting dressed and ready for the world outside together, and just enjoying simple things like a trip to the playground or meeting friends for play group. Those things I've missed a lot during the last 2 years, and I definitely plan on filling up on them now before I potentially join the work force again in another month or two. Richard has become a lot closer to Lily within the last weeks; our big girl was very accepting in the fact that I have to care more for Violet and just turned to Richard for affection. I watched the two of them on the couch today, watching "Ponyo". Lily cuddled up next to Richard with her bunny and fell asleep after a few minutes. I just try to ingrain those images in my brain as deeply as possible, because I already know that the girls will grow up way to fast, and before we know it, we'll have to deal with a bunch of teenagers, for whom there is nothing more embarrassing than hugging their parents (ok, if they are anything like me, they will still hug us, but you know what I mean). I take many, many pictures to always remember this time, and all the stages still to come, with all their changes and development for all of us.
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