They really are sisters!

First of all, sorry to abandon you for an entire weekend. I have been trying to fix all the broken things in my life, and had some success. For example, right now I am doing laundry!!!!!!!! Turns out it wasn't the lightning that got the washer/dryer but a little wire had become disconnected. $81 dollars later, we're good to go.

Now to the real story of the day:
If any of you don't know this, we are adopting Dixie. She has been living with us since January 1st and we are still awaiting the ending of all the fun this legal circus has to offer. Melody has had to go through a lot of adjustments in her little life--she went from only child to big sister in August of '06 and became the middle child just five months later.

The girls adore each other. They love each other. They can't stand to be apart from each other. They also can't stand to be near each other and drive each other insane. Typical siblings, right?

Dixie latched on to Melody right away, but Melody has been keeping her distance for awhile. If she were articulate enough, I am certain that Mel would point out to you that this was not her idea. She was quite happy as an only child at home with daddy all day. The switch from that cozy lifestyle to a world of siblings and mom-at-home is NOT her first choice. Or second, or third. But she is adjusting remarkably well and every now and then I see a glimmer of hope.

Melody has many, many skills. Sleeping through the night in her bed by herself is NOT one of them. Every night, at some point, she wakes up and seeks a warm body to curl up next to. Usually, she hops in our bed and one of us ends up abandoning reclaiming the space we've lost to her wriggly 25-lb body and goes to sleep on the couch. Sometimes we haven't even made it to bed yet, so she ends up on the couch. And some nights she migrates from bed to couch to floor to bed and back. It is no wonder that this kid needs a 3 hour nap every day--her bedtime is spent in transit instead of in REM.

A few weeks ago, I was still *gasp* at the computer, long after the children were asleep and I heard Melody get up. Depending on what Dowlan is doing, this is often my cue for laying down so that she'll have someone to snuggle with. But then I didn't hear her leave the room. After a few minutes, I went to check on her. She had curled up next to Dixie on her toddler bed.

I can't begin to describe how that felt to see them that way. To know that Melody felt safe and warm and secure enough to seek Dixie out confirmed to me that hat we are doing is right. It confirmed that Melody is just as much Dixie's sister as she is Charlie's.

As beautiful as it was, it must have been insanely uncomfortable, because within ten minutes Melody went back to her own bed, abandoning her search entirely.

Tale #2:
Conversation in the van yesterday:

Melody: Dixie, I love you.
Dixie: I like you, too.
M: No, Dixie, I LOVE you.
D: I love you, too.
M: You're pretty AND beautiful.
D: I think you're fun and silly.

How cool is that?