During my pregnancy with Holden, Claire, without hesitation welcomed the idea of having her own baby. She would snuggle my belly and talk about the things she would do with her brother once he was "out of mom's belly". She's a ridiculously loving child so I was fairly confident that she would embrace having a new baby in the house but the concept of a belly baby versus a actually-here-and-taking-a-whole-lot-of-attention baby is pretty tough for a sub three year old to grasp. But she stuck to her guns during my pregnancy and her baby enthusiasm never wavered.

Then came the introduction. Without missing a beat, my sweet girl ran through the door, saw her baby brother and lit up. One of the most important moments of all of our lives. Our family complete. She eagerly climbed onto the bed next to me and got her first look. Then, we all watched her fall in love. Pure happiness, with the signature dimples to prove it. She wanted to see his feet and gave them a soft tickle...which she thought was hilarious. Then she listed all of the things that she was going to do with him, which included taking him to swimming lessons.

Since bringing him home, her love and adoration for him has only grown. She tells people "look at him" "you have to wash your hands to hold him" "isn't he cute". He's basically the best gift she ever could've gotten. Before we decided that we were ready for baby #2, I remember telling one of my mom-friends that I had anxieties about having another child and not being able to give as much of myself to two kids as I was able to give to one. This wise mama told me that what I was forgetting, was that my girl would become a sister. Now I understand what that means.

Thank you to my dear friend, Nicole, for taking these.