Be still my heart

It's amazing how one little thing your child does can restore your faith in yourself as a mother.

Tonight I was at Babies R Us with my girls looking for a booster seat for Madeleine. I took them up and down the isles trying to get some ideas for Madeleine's second birthday as well. As I pushed the cart up the toy isle Madeleine saw a toy that caught her eye. It was a hippo in a tutu. She immediately began pointing at it frantically going, "BABY BABY BABY!" I thought that she may have been calling the toy a baby since that is what she refers to her dolls as, as well as her sister, so I picked it up to hand to her so she could examine it.

When I handed it to her she turned around without a second's hesitation and put it in Juliette's arms with a tender smile and a soft baby. Juliette clutched it to her chest. Madeleine looked at Juliette with such love and joy and pride that it melted my heart. She had seen that toy, known her baby would like it, and made sure she got it. She was filled with joy to see her sister playing with it. She didn't want any toy for herself, she was content giving something to Juliette.

There was no doubt that I would purchase that hippo in the tutu and on the car ride home I listened to the crinkle of her skirt as my six month old examined her new friend. Someday that hippo will be in Juliette's forever box as the first toy Madeleine ever got her. There will surely be gifts exchanged between them in the future but I will always remember the pure love with which this one was given.

To all the people who said I was having my kids too close together, that they wouldn't receive enough love, I wish they had been there to see this. For all the times I am delayed giving Madeleine a juice cup because I am nursing her sister and vice versa, nothing will ever come close to the blessing they are to each other as sisters. Life long best friends. This is why I want to have a large family. Because God doesn't allow my love to be divided between my children. With each child he will multiply my love for all of them and multiply their love for each other. The more children I have, the more love there will be. Tonight I witnessed this Truth in the selflessness of a 23 month old.