On Wednesday the 26th Julia will turn 6. I don't know how this happened, since of course she was born last week. Be that as it may, here she is, this lovely, growing girl that is so different from any of my other children. Laura and Chris are quite alike in there mellow calm. Emma and Chase are more alike than I can even believe (think stubborn and opinionated and too smart for their own good [or mine!]). Then there's this Julia.
From the very begining she was different. She was born with a huge shock of ebony hair, a first and last for me. Everyone else was blonde. She completely mixed up her nights and days for weeks (read: no sleep for me for weeks!). And I worried about her, with her sweet little cherub face and gentle demeanor. I worried about the middle child stuff after Emma was born. I worried that she would feel too different compared to everyone else's towheaded glow. But she has suprised me. She is quite comfortable in her own skin. She doesn't feel compared to, and I hope she never does. She is not as quick as Laura at school, still has a little baby lisp in some of her speech, still has accidents at night every now and then. But she is the most loving of the 5. She would rather cuddle on the couch with me or daddy (or Gram, above) and watch a movie or read than almost anything else. She still likes a kiss goodbye at parent drop off (Laura is out of the car like a shot). She literally sings upon waking in the morning which has more than once brought me to tears of love. My heart aches with adoration for this child. She dances and sings and is just full of joy.
So it has occurred to me that the person doing the comparing to her siblings was me all along. I am not proud of this. It just is what it is. And I don't do it any more. Because what makes her different and unique is what makes her Julia. Thank God she remains that lovey little brunette with the green eyes and the drive to sing songs. She hardly ever complains. In fact the other night I was getting in the shower and Patrik was washing the girls' hair in the tub when I heard her burst into tears (Emma had confiscated a toy of hers) and it occurred to me that I hadn't heard her cry in so long it was like a foreign thing. Emma cries about everything from bedtime to not getting her way. Laura is a little drama queen at times and a sideways look will set her off. But Julia is just as content as can be. Truly. I pray that this will remain the case for a long time. She will get her heart broken, people will be (and have been) not very nice to her. But she is still gloriously happy. She is easily comforted and eager to be a part of the group. She is a star.
Happy birthday, Julia baby. You light up my life. And I hope you never change.
From the very begining she was different. She was born with a huge shock of ebony hair, a first and last for me. Everyone else was blonde. She completely mixed up her nights and days for weeks (read: no sleep for me for weeks!). And I worried about her, with her sweet little cherub face and gentle demeanor. I worried about the middle child stuff after Emma was born. I worried that she would feel too different compared to everyone else's towheaded glow. But she has suprised me. She is quite comfortable in her own skin. She doesn't feel compared to, and I hope she never does. She is not as quick as Laura at school, still has a little baby lisp in some of her speech, still has accidents at night every now and then. But she is the most loving of the 5. She would rather cuddle on the couch with me or daddy (or Gram, above) and watch a movie or read than almost anything else. She still likes a kiss goodbye at parent drop off (Laura is out of the car like a shot). She literally sings upon waking in the morning which has more than once brought me to tears of love. My heart aches with adoration for this child. She dances and sings and is just full of joy.
So it has occurred to me that the person doing the comparing to her siblings was me all along. I am not proud of this. It just is what it is. And I don't do it any more. Because what makes her different and unique is what makes her Julia. Thank God she remains that lovey little brunette with the green eyes and the drive to sing songs. She hardly ever complains. In fact the other night I was getting in the shower and Patrik was washing the girls' hair in the tub when I heard her burst into tears (Emma had confiscated a toy of hers) and it occurred to me that I hadn't heard her cry in so long it was like a foreign thing. Emma cries about everything from bedtime to not getting her way. Laura is a little drama queen at times and a sideways look will set her off. But Julia is just as content as can be. Truly. I pray that this will remain the case for a long time. She will get her heart broken, people will be (and have been) not very nice to her. But she is still gloriously happy. She is easily comforted and eager to be a part of the group. She is a star.
Happy birthday, Julia baby. You light up my life. And I hope you never change.
2 comments:
Julia is indeed a special child. I have always known this and for some reason I seem to be more gentle with her. She is so loving and sweet. I hope she always knows her worth to us because she holds a very special place in my heart.
Mom
She is the only grandchild whose birth you were there for. Do you think that has anything to do with how special she feels to you?
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