They blew in the front door following a student council work day and tandem voice lessons, both claiming to be near starvation but without much time to sit down and eat. The senior bounded up the stairs and the sophomore trailed, saying to her sister's back, "I'm having so much fun with you. I'm so glad we're in high school together. The only thing I wish is we were closer-- only one grade apart-- so we could have more time together." The older sister agreed. She agreed. Then, they gathered their beauty essentials and pretty dresses and sparkly shoes and headed off to a mutual friend's house to get ready for the homecoming dance. Of the places they were invited, and amongst the groups with whom they could have taken photos, they both chose the same place. The girls are most comfortable within the same group of friends, together.
I tell you-- when Amanda was just eight months old and I got pregnant again, I spent a lot of time worrying about how close in age the babies would be. I was concerned about my health and the new baby's health. I worried about Amanda losing her babyhood too soon and not being old enough to understand. I didn't think I'd have the time or energy or limbs for two babies. Yet, while I could never previously have imagined myself the mom of girls, I now desperately wanted Amanda to have a sister.
Naturally, as the pregnancy progressed, I became more excited and more anxious about having babies so close in age. Now, it seems I know all kinds of families with such spreads, even lots of twins and "Irish twins." It's all good! But, at the time, I felt as though I was the only mom to experience such a thing. About a month before my due date, Todd and Amanda and I went on a little family trip. We visited northern Minnesota, touring the Iron Range and then down along the North Shore to Duluth. I was nearly panicked, wanting to soak up this precious time with our barely-toddler before she had to share my lap. We got a lot of looks and a lot of questions-- Todd in the pool splashing around with Amanda while the beached whale dangled fingers and toes in from the edge. "Wow, another one!" "Those kiddos will be close!" "Is that one yours, too?"
Once back home, in those dog days of summer, I had but one hope: for the baby to not come early. (It's hilarious, in retrospect, because babies do not come out of me, like, at all. Eviction notices must be served. But I couldn't say that definitively during pregnancy number two.) There was plenty of swelling and generalized misery, along with a lot of Braxton-Hicks contractions. In fact, with this second baby, I would end up being in early labor for days on end, but that's a separate story. It was important to me that I make it close to my mid-September due date, that this baby not be born before Labor Day or any of the days right around it, because I wanted there to be no question about when this baby would start school.
For reasons I can no longer really articulate or explain, it really, really mattered to me that the children be two years apart in school. This would feel even more important after Elisabeth was born and we did indeed have sisters. I had it in my head that it would just be better for both girls if there was a little space, some separation, room for them to grow and develop separately, not right on top of one another. I didn't want them to feel pressured-- to be in the same classes, to compete for the same spot on a team, to audition for the same roles, to be interested in the same boys. (Yikes!)
I did it! We did it! I made it through the first week in September. Sure, I was having contractions every five minutes for, like, a week-- really-- but it wasn't until my doctor visit on September 9 that the man said I was dilated to 5 cm, and, even though the contractions still didn't seem that productive, he wasn't about to send me home in that state. So, I was off to the birth center that evening, where the same doctor assured me there were still plenty of hours for the baby to be born on 9-9-03. (Amanda's birth date is 3-3-02, so I liked 9-9 in keeping with the theme.) Stubborn, strong, incredible "My Bebe Libilith" did not make her entrance until a good eight hours into 9-10-03, but, that, too, is a story for a different post. Really, there already is a post on that. We made it; we had our girls; we had sisters, for the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2022. Perfect.
It is even more perfect, because they want to be together more. I've used the phrase "best of friends, worst of enemies" more times than I care to admit, but they really do love one another. They really do like one another. They are tolerant of each other's differences and attentive to each other's needs. They are best sisters. They are so lucky. I am the luckiest.
Happy Start to Amanda's Senior Year!
Happy Homecoming Week!
Happy Upcoming Musical "Guys and Dolls" with Amanda as Adelaide and Libby as Hot Box Dancer!
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