scrap book
Today twin's little sister, Charlotte Rose, turns 1 year old. While I am happy for Charlotte and for the family as a whole, I am slightly disheartened because I know that I won't be as close to this child as I was to Henry; I won't get to watch her grow up as I did him. I remember the day that Charlotte was born. Twin had to miss KMEA solo and ensemble to be present at her birth, which she had "secretly" been hoping would be the case. She is so pretty and reminds me of twin in so many ways. I have seen pictures of twin from when she was very young - adorable pictures - and they look so alike Charlotte that it is hard to believe. The hair, the sparkling eyes. They both look so much like their dad. Twin is so proud of her baby blues.
I was remembering, yesterday, what Joanie was like when she was younger. I can recall returning home from vacations with a younger sibling, uncannily resembling Mowgli, of The Jungle Book. We have a great picture of Joanie washing the dishes with her head turned toward the camera in a toothless grin. Isn't it funny the things you remember? I remember changing her diapers when we were both so young, and spending countless hours in the backyard playing. When it rained we would splash and jump around in the giant puddles left in our neighbor's driveway. Heh. Jungle-gyms and Little Tike tractors. Elaborate road systems drawn in chalk on the driveway. Never tall enough to climb our tree. Friendly with strangers but afraid to get lost. She was always so much braver than I was. It's scary, to me, to think that we almost lost her twice. Scary to think that those memories I just recorded could have been the end of my memories with her. I feel lucky, or blessed, or something that she is, indeed, still here and that I will continue to make memories. We all just grow up so fast.