On Sisters

Samina wakes up earlier in the morning than the rest of the clan. I bring her into bed with me; sometimes we fall back to sleep, sometimes I close my eyes while I feel her wiggling beside me. Perhaps in anticipation. Of her Big Sister.

Sofia wakes up a bit later and jumps up, ready to come join us for our cuddle time in bed. While Papa' goes to prepare her a bottle of milk "not too hot, without honey" (he definitely gets the short end of the morning stick), the three of us lie in bed, holding hands and snuggling. Sofia sings songs at the top of her lungs to make her sister smile ("I can't get dressed yet, Mommy, I have to make Samina happy first."), Samina repays her sister's energy with giggles and screams. They already seem to speak a language of their own.

I watch them, sometimes my eyelids closing a bit as I enjoy the laziness of these stolen morning moments. As my lids shut, I am lulled by the giggling and screaming and cooing going on between them. And, almost always, my eyes pop back open with the "OUCH!" that inevitably happens, as Sofia is punched or scratched by an overzealous little sister hand. Her reaction is almost always laughter though..."Samina!!!! Non si fa!" (Samina, we don't hit!). Sofia, who gets miffed at her parents with banal frequency, seems to accept almost anything from this little person with those big, smiling eyes.

Seeing them interact is heavenly. Andrea and I often share a knowing smile at these times, in awe of the bond that we created. The loud symphony they are beginning to write together, little hand pressed carefully into big hand.

Karma is My Friend.

I'm about to make a confession that will make the internet gods keel over laughing, as they plan their spiteful revenge at my hubris. I have a newborn who...wait for it...sleeps (I whispered it, that's why it's in small font).

Yes, ladies and gents, my little girl is a super sleeper*. Sometimes - and this is going to make other parents want to beat me with a pointy stick - she doesn't even want anyone around while she puts herself to sleep. I just put her down, preferably on her side so she can easily rest her thumb in her mouth, and leave the room and normally within 4 minutes she's fast asleep.

At night, the story's similar. 7:30 rolls around, my girl had better already be bathed and fed because she is ready for the sleep fairy. And it's not that she sleeps through the night fully - she normally wakes up to eat 2x a night, but she hardly even opens her eyes to do so, and falls right back into her happy stupor immediately after - possibly during.

Those 2+ years of non-sleeping with Child #1 have finally paid off. So much so that sometimes we risk leaving the house without Samina, or leaving her in the car because she's too damn quiet.

And this, little world, is our proof that karma is alive and well. So watch your back.

*fine, I'll be superstitious and put the damn disclaimer: I do realize it's early and we have all sorts of time for things like teething and sicknesses to throw us right off kilter. Thanks for reminding me, interwebs.

An Ode to Prolactin

Thanks to Prolactin, I find myself wanting to nibble these two faces on a daily basis.

In my breastfeeding post below, I mentioned Prolactin, the hormone that helps a woman's body in the production of milk. I mentioned how it is mainly produced at night: it is the reason why night-time breastfeeding is so important.

What I didn't talk about was the positive effect Prolactin has on nursing moms, namely this one (that'd be me). As I found detailed online:

Prolactin is called the "mothering hormone" because it "physiologically produces in the mother an intensification of her 'motherliness,' the pleasurable care of her child (Montagu, 1971).

In a nutshell: it makes me feel funky-good! The comment I've been getting most often from friends since Samina's birth is how unwaveringly calm I seem. Like nothing can get me down. And it's so weird, but they're right! For the first time in my entire life, I have this calm, warm glow around me at all times (ok, at almost all times...I do have 2 children...and a husband...hi, Andrea!). Most days, I honestly feel like I can and could and would - and do - take on anything. Dealing with our heavy stroller in 100+ degree heat, carrying Samina and a load of groceries up two flights of stairs at the same time, frantically trying to multi-task cooking dinner and folding laundry whilst playing "restaurant" with Sofia, that inevitable and unkind Italian bureaucracy (for the record: it does double when you double the members in your family), the arrival of any unwanted and unexpected extra bills to pay...I've become Superwoman. Or, should I say, SuperMom.


Anyway, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Prolactin and, therefore, Nature for having the foresight to give new mothers their own built-in happy pills. It does, however, disturb me to think of what I might turn back into once the nursing stops...hi Andrea!

Stay Tuned.