10 Days

So I intended to do this post two days ago. Go figure. As "efficient" and organized as I am, I'll be late to my own funeral. So to make this less confusing (as well as require minimal math), we're going to pretend that it's June 13. :) Today (again it's June 13) my girls' birthdays are 10 days away. One will be five in ten days and the other was two ten days ago. I obviously knew their birth-dates were close (I was there and all), but I had never realized that on this one day (did I mention that today is June 13?) both dates are ten days away. And how happy Big Sister is that hers is coming up rather than over! She's had a hard time understanding that she was born first but Little Sister gets her birthday first.

Speaking of Little Sister. . . that's her. Better known as Stinkus. We were at the zoo a few weeks ago, and the picture says it all. Wow. She's you-know-what on wheels. I laugh and say that either a)God wanted to humble us a bit (we were PROS at parenting with #1. . . maybe #1 was just easy?) or b)don't mix caffeine (which I avoided during pregnancy #1) and hot sauce (which I CRAVED during pregnancy #2.) At any rate, she keeps us on our toes and I have to admit, I love it. She's feisty, funny, brave, and full of life. I hope she never loses these qualities. On the other hand, I'm sprouting gray hairs like crazy and running out of answers for "Why?" It definitely makes a case for "nature" over "nurture."

Because then there's Sa.

Sa (sounds like the beginning of Sally or sack) got her name from Stinkus. We're not sure if it's short for Sis but it's stuck and I think I'll be sad when Little Sister uses her real name. I'm not sure if my parenting is different each time around or if these two little people just came out different, but wow, day and night. Sa is our sweet, sensitive people pleaser. She has a heart of gold and I often forget that she's only 4. She has a witty sense of humor and a drive to succeed. It's bittersweet to see her start school in the fall--it doesn't seem that she should be old enough, but I'm so excited to see her in action.

And anyone with more than one kid will tell you that they love their kids for different reasons--that life would be boring if they were the same. It's so fun to see how different they are. And I'm excited to see how they balance each other in the years to come. It's ok that one is a little more argumentative, one is a little more emotional. Today they are "equal"--10 days away from a birthday.