My daughters are best friends

Once upon a time when I thought about the age gap between my two oldest children being so small, it was terrifying. The thought of the double duty diapers, and the nap times and that my oldest was barely eating adult food as I started the nursing process all over again, was an absolutely horrific thought. It scared me and it took me a while to figure out how to juggle it. As the girls got bigger I realized that it was only going to continue as we dived into potty training, the decision for showers over baths, and the time consuming process of fixing two little girls hair every day. (Seriously, do you know how hard it is to do 4 french braids in under twenty minutes??) My girls are girly girls, which means every day getting ready to get out the door is a PROCESS. They have to pick out their own clothes, decide how to do their hair, fight over who gets which ponytails, and basically drive me insane. Bedtime is equally disastrous, because they each have their own opinions on which movie to watch at bedtime, how far open to leave the closet door, and whose ladybug pillow is whose. 

They are two high spirited and open minded little girls who are only 1.5 years apart. They can both think for themselves, and they both know what they like. This is sometimes a source of frustration. Playtime consists of a lot of fighting over who gets which Barbie doll, who gets which play castle, and which one gets to use the baby doll bed. It is enough to drive any mother (or human being for that matter) absolutely insane.

But. All of this doesn't even begin to measure up to the good that I witness with my daughters each and every day. Monster1 knows that her little sister can't quite reach the top shelf, and is more than happy to help her out. Monster2 knows that she will get to watch Dora if she lets her big sister watch one episode of My Little Pony first. They both love to snuggle on the couch together and watch these cartoons under a mountain of pillows and blankets and stuffed animals. They love to pretend together. Usually one of them is a puppy or a kitty, and follows the other on all fours around the house. They take turns being the Mommy and the baby. They run hand in hand through the house screaming at the top of their lungs about monsters. They love to take showers together and help each other wash their backs. 

My daughters are best friends. They protect each other fiercely, and the oldest is a formidable opponent if you are picking on her little sister. I want to capture all these moments and just hold onto them forever. It terrifies me to imagine them being 16 & 17 fighting over clothes! I know they are going to need each other a lot more in the next few months when their baby brother arrives. Because to be honest, I'm scared of how much work a newborn is going to be alongside my 3 and 4 year olds. I can say I never want these days to end. The days of them playing and laughing and giggling all through the night. Of them running outside holding each others hand. Of them wanting to wrestle together with their Daddy, and play hide and seek. Grinning at each other over a bowl of animal crackers, and delightfully sharing absentmindedly as they watch cartoons. Of pretending that our kitten is their baby, and our dog is their nanny. 

There is not enough minutes or hours in the day to capture all of the precious moments my daughters bring to my life. But I certainly can appreciate the peace and quiet as they play together in their room.