Sunday, May 20, 2007

Oversized Heart

I'm posing a question that has been posed to me by one of my most cherished blog readers. I'll protect the innocent by changing his name to ... ahem, let's see ... Juan (wink, wink).

How can you love more than one child?
Juan doesn't think it's possible.
To be honest, when I first was pregnant, I wasn't sure either. Then Bradley came and I giggled at the thought of not being able to love him enough.
Then when I became pregnant with Emmy, similar thoughts entered my mind. "Am I going to be able to love her as much as I love Bradley?"
I had the audacity to question my heart's ability with this third pregnancy. One of my biggest worries came when we decided to not find out the gender. There was only one person who told me that not finding out the gender would be a mistake; I would have a hard time bonding with the baby, she told me. (everyone else supported the idea of being surprised). That thought re-entered my mind after birth when we still hadn't decided on a name. I was worried that I wasn't bonding quickly enough with Olivia.
Here's what I've learned in these past few days about love and my heart's willingness to grow as our family does.
  • It's that little turtle-like tongue that sticks out of her mouth when she's yawning.
  • It's those freakishly long fingers that roam aimlessly when she stretches.
  • It's that unending dependence on me.
  • It's those still-skinny legs that kick when she's not bundled up like a burrito.
  • It's her love of being bundled up like a burrito.
  • It's her smacking lips at the onset of hunger.
  • It's the way my other children watch and dote over their new little sister.
  • It's her soft cries during her sponge bath.
  • It's knowing where this precious treasure just came from.
Here is a mere smidgen of the hundreds of things that make me love her automatically. Yes, Juan, it is possible to love more than one child. And if you believe that, believe this:

the love grows and multiplies indefinitely.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I cried reading this...how beautiful.

annie said...

well said. it's amazing!

Natalie said...

alright, friend - make me cry already. so beautifully put. maybe i am ready for a #3...

Jodie Haney said...

Here...here...oh, wise one.

Lori said...

You make me want to have #4 right now! Thanks for sharing, it was great to read!

Ashley said...

Very well said! I am excited to experience this very feeling when we welcome #2 into our family.

janet said...

Mindy-
So fun to see pics of your family and your new beautiful baby girl! Aaron and I are in Vegas.. he just finished law school and will take the bar this summer. We have three little boys and I always tell people how incredible it is to develop an individual love and unique bond with each child! They each add more love to the family and to your relationship as parents. Love to read your blog.. very inspiring and well written. Keep in touch.

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