To My Sister

I want to take a quick break from my usual weekly musings to write a special post about my big sister. Even as I begin typing this, I know it will be impossible to make it to the end with dry eyes. The last few weeks have been an adventure. There have been highs, and there have been lows. At the lows, I have had so many questions, doubts, fears, and frustrations. And each time, Megan has been there to lift me back up. Boomer certainly deserves a lot of credit, too (perhaps he will get his own post soon!), but there is just something special about the bond of two sisters, especially once both become mothers. Now that we are both in this journey called motherhood, right in the thick of it, I find myself clinging to her even more. I could say so much about all of our memories before babies; there are too many to even count. However, since the moment I told her I was pregnant, our bond was strengthened further. After Boomer, she was the very next one I trusted with this secret, and she has helped in every stage of the pregnancy and now postpartum. Things that may have seemed daunting or overwhelming (like registering at Babies R Us, setting up a nursery, choosing doctors and a daycare) all were eased by her experience. Things that seemed scary (like the delivery, breastfeeding, Em's low weight) soon seemed conquerable. Like a mommy mentor, she has a way of listening and then talking through things so that I always feel better afterwards. Never have I felt more blessed to be the little sister. She has been my cheerleader through it all.

The last few weeks, Megan has brought over dinners, changed diapers, picked up things from the store, showed me how to use a breast pump (and then sat with me while I tried it for the first time!), made me laugh when I needed comic relief, and generally provided adult company when Boomer had to work late. She has also loved on our little girl in only the way a doting aunt can. Juggling many responsibilities herself (a demanding full-time job, a rambunctious 3-year-old, a cuddly 1-year old, and a husband, too!) it is as if she has put all of those things on hold when she is with me. She has missed several nights of tucking her boys in and spending time with Zack so that she could be with me. Last night, we had our first dinner out just the two of us. Megan insisted that it was a big milestone to go out after baby for an hour or two, and she was right. It felt good to have a breather from this new life, a life that I wouldn't trade for anything but that requires some recharging sometimes. And so, to my sister, I say: 

Megan, 

Thank you. Thank you for all the time you have spent with Em and me over the last five weeks. Thank you for lending an ear when I needed to talk things out. Thank you for celebrating the victories with me and for cheering me on through the hard times. Thank you for selflessly giving of yourself and your time. Emerson and I are both so lucky to have you in our lives. We look forward to girls-days-out, shopping trips, pedicures, and spa days. If Boomer and I are blessed with another baby girl, my prayer is that Emerson will be to her what you have been to me. You are such an amazing mother, sister, daughter, and friend. 

I love you more than I can put into words!
Lindsey

P.S. And as I expected, I can hardly see the screen through my tears! :)