The sky outside says that we're about to get a lot of snow - it's pure white with thick, heavy clouds and the air is strangely still.  As I write this, I can see Lucie through the video monitor, snuggled up in the corner of her crib, peacefully gathering energy for the day ahead.  This week has been interesting, as Bobby and I started work again after the holiday break and Ava transitioned back into preschool after a 3-week break.  Two weeks were for her Christmas break, the week before she, Lucie and I were sick with an awful sinus, respiratory thing - what a week that was.  The remnants of our illness left Lucie with an ear infection, Ava with an extra-long break from school, and Bobby and I weary from taking care of two sick girls while trying to work.  That was the first time that both of the girls have been sick together and it was yet another reminder to us of how different having two kids is than having just one.  Everything more than doubles.  When Ava finally started feeling better, Lucie lagging behind for several days, I felt this overwhelming thankfulness for Ava's overall health.  What if she were sick all of the time?  How would it feel to constantly have to worry and wonder about her health, when the next bout was coming...I don't know and I'm glad that I don't know.  I watched her return to her old self, playing with toys and singing, and it was so joyful to realize that our time with sickness is so incredibly limited. 

  With the exception of Lucie's ear, we were all pretty much on the mend for Christmas.  This was definitely our best Christmas ever since Ava was born.  She and Lucie are such wonderful playmates and they love all of the same toys - Lucie has an ear and a rhythm for music like her big sister!  Christmas morning was so much fun with both of them, watching them explore their new playthings, listening to Ava's reactions and descriptions, seeing Lucie crawl over to Ava to share something new.  They have a very unique way of communicating.  Lucie is a rather quiet baby; she is more observant than verbal, and yet she and Ava have this way of talking with their hands, passing toys back and forth, sharing experiences.  Ava is the narrator (just like we were for her!), listening to Lucie's actions and reporting what is happening, "Lucie has a bell, Ava has one, too!"  It's a miracle to watch them.  They are this way in the bath tub, in the playroom, in the car.  They are the cutest pair of sisters that I have ever seen! 

Yesterday, we met with Ava's team for her annual IEP review and discussed her many new goals for the upcoming year.  I can never express my gratitude for the team of professionals that Ava has - every single one of them is totally on-target with what comes next for Ava, from building her muscle tone to working her fine-motor skills so that she is ready to read Braille.  As Bobby and I talked with Ava's teacher, Jen, and the director of the preschool, Lucie played quietly for nearly two hours with just a few toys, some juice and a snack.  What a one-year-old she is!  Such a wonderful little girl, so interested in the small details of everything around her.  Lucie can occupy herself for a long time with a puzzle or sorting blocks - all with this determined look about her brow and her paci in her mouth.  She also has a great sense of humor, sticking out her tongue a few times during the meeting, getting laughs from everyone there.  It turns out that Ava's personality is emerging more at school, according to Jen.  They are starting to see the Ava that we see at home - Jen reported that Ava has been telling little "funny things" at school to get a reaction out of the adults, like that Lucie got "40 pacis and ba-bas" for her birthday!  I love this side of Ava - her sense of humor, her ability to tease and use sarcasm.  She is just so fun to be with at this age!

After the meeting yesterday, we all went to Ava's classroom to pick her up and there she was, sitting in a little chair, bouncing to music while her friend, Seth, played next to her at the table.  The second she heard us, she said, "It's Mom-myyyy...." and Lucie let out a howl of excitement when she saw Ava!  Once we were in the car, we picked up some lunch and as we made our way home, I said to Bobby, "You know, it's good to be a family, isn't it?"  Ava's meeting - with all of the good conversation, praise, things to look forward to, and Lucie playing so contently, suddenly made me feel such a contentment with the four of us and how we function together.  It made me feel glad that Ava and Lucie are who they are and for their uniqueness and similarities to one another.  I felt pride in how we have raised Ava so far - she has a lot to learn and we have a long way to go, but she is on the right track.  I often feel that we can't take much credit for Lucie, that she just learns things naturally and is who she is because of her innate personality, but I have to remind myself sometimes that we - Bobby, Ava and I - have a big influence on who Lucie is becoming.  She looks to her big sister to figure out the way that things are done.  She learns to respond to us by the tone of voice that we use and the looks on our faces.  She needs our guidance every bit as much as Ava - her life will not be perfect just because she can see. 

So today, as we get 6, 8 or 12 inches of snow (yikes!), we will enjoy our day "stuck" in the house, cooking, playing, napping, laughing, discovering new things with the girls.  We will enjoy our day as a family, the strongest thing on earth.