Siblings

Anika, Jacob and I were at a local farm the other day for a hay ride with some friends. Afterwards we went inside to buy an apple cider donut when this young man in his 20s approached us. 

He excitedly asked , “Did I overhear that someone over here was named Anika?!”

Anika answered, “yes me!”

He even more excitedly told us that his nieces name is Anika too and showed us a small tattoo of such on his wrist. He talked to us for a minute more, smiled and then we all went about our day. 

It was such a sweet moment.  The love that this guy felt for his niece was clearly evident, both through his excitement at the mention of her name and his excitement to share it with us. It made me hope that someday Jacob loves one of Anika’s kids so much he tattoos their name on his wrist and vs versa for Anika. 

I’m an only child. I’ve never gotten to experience the sibling relationship, and the good and the bad that comes right along with it. Going from one baby to two has been hard. Like really hard. Like one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I’ve entered a brand new and strange world. 

But when I get glimpses of what their sibling bond might be like some day….

….when Jacob goes over to comfort his sister when she’s crying and gives her a hug and says “sorry sister”, even if he isn’t the cause of the tears

…when Anika always asks if she can have one to bring back for her brother whether it’s popcorn, a lollipop, stickers, etc. 

….when they hug and kiss each other goodnight

….when they play peak a boo in their carseats under their blankets

…even when they team up on me and do semi-naughty but super adorable things together…

My heart expands to sizes I didn’t think was possible and it makes the moments of exhaustion, frustration and arguing all worth it.