The Players (Part 2)

Photo Credit: JA Laub Photography

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This is my first born (by 1 whole minute)...my Lily.  Oh my, what can you say about Lily?  Lily is a piece of work (as my Dad would say).  My first clue should have been on the evening she was born.  The nurse came around to my room to check on me.  She peeked over at those two little bundles laying in the crib next to my bed.  "Oh my," she commented, "Baby A (Lily) is the most alert newborn I have ever seen.  She's just a couple of hours old and she is looking all around!"

I should have taken it as a warning.  This child is perhaps the most driven little person I have ever met.  She stays bruised, scraped and bleeding about 99% of her life. She has busted her lip, climbed out of her crib, tortured her little sister and plays a mean game of tug of war with the dog.  I love her spirit.  She is quick to laugh, her smile lights up a room and she has the cutest little toddler run that you have ever seen.

Aaron and I are determined to raise our twins as individuals rather than lumping them together as "the twins".  We are trying to learn the personalities of these little girls and then use this knowledge to bring out the best in them.  We want them to be all that God created them to be as individuals.  Sometimes that can be tricky when you are raising two at once - two going through every stage at the same time.  We try very hard not to compare...to let them blossom at their own rate.

Lily is so, so driven.  She reaches most physical milestones first out of sheer determination.  I watched her will herself to crawl, then walk, then run!  She literally went from taking a couple of shaky steps to running in a few days time.  I have learned that she is fiercely independent.  Rather than just grab forbidden things out of her hands, I have learned to "guide" her into putting them back where they belong.  We are already having to work hard at discipline with her because she has a mind of her own and can throw quite the tantrum.

But, at the same time, she is such a joy.  She runs to us with her arms up and a huge grin on her face when she wants to be picked up.  She gives sweet open mouthed kisses and tight little hugs.  She proudly brings every little speck of lint off the floor to me and holds it out and says, "This!"  She makes her sister cackle with laughter before I go in to get them out of their cribs in the morning.  I have no idea what she does, but Harper thinks it is hilarious!

Lily never stops from sun up to sun down.  I think she would never sleep if I didn't make her!  Many times, I can hear her babbling on the baby monitor as she tries to settle down and go to sleep for the night! But oh, how I love to get her how out of her crib when she wakes up.  She loves to peek over the railing and give me that beaming Lily smile.  It makes my heart jump!

I simply cannot wait to see who Lily becomes.  I only hope that I am strong enough, brave enough and have enough energy to help guide her into the woman God has created her to be!