Sisters

I secretly hoped that Tessa would be a girl. Having two sisters, I wanted Ava to have a sister. Of course, I would have been thrilled either way. You can't go wrong as long as your baby is healthy, and a little boy would have been really fun. But I pictured two little girls playing with dolls, having tea parties, doing each other's hair -- all the things I remember doing with my sisters. And I think, generally speaking, same-sex siblings are usually closer. Again, that's just a generalization, and I know there are plenty of exceptions to that. I also think that I just understand the world of little girls better and my temperment is more suited to girls. So, there. I said it -- I wanted a girl, both times.

The day we brought Tessa home from the hospital, Ava was thrilled to meet her.

But it took no time before Ava realized that Tessa, the baby we had talked about in the abstract for months, was really here and not going anywhere. Suddenly our attention was divided and her world was a little rocked. For the first couple days she pitched a fit or two over not being able to hold Tessa the minute she wanted to, or the fact that Tessa was using the stroller that Ava had long since stopped using. She was excited about Tessa but not about having to share us or her things.

However, now that Tessa has been with us for a month, Ava is starting to grow into her role as big sister. She can't wait for Tessa to wake up so they can sit next to each other and Ava can "hold" her. It is so sweet to watch them begin to interact.