Our little Evaëlle turns 5 months the end of this week. Jonas will be disappointed because right now she is 4--just like him! Which he likes to point out. She is just complete joy in our lives. Don't make eye contact with her or she will drain you of all of your motivation to do anything other than be with her. Even Jonas, who had constantly told me that he wanted a baby and a dog at our house before I got pregnant, then finally admitted when she was a couple months old, "I just want a dog at our house. Not a baby," has come around. Now he is convinced that he wants to marry Eva when he grows up. I've finally given up trying to convince him that he can't marry his sister, happy that he at least wants to keep her around. I think it helps that she gives him love now. When she first started smiling she would dole out all sorts of smiles for Jaxon, the much gentler of the two, but would quickly switch to a concerned face when Jonas came around (rightfully so...) Now she smiles at Jonas all the time and laughs when he gets wild with her. (Doesn't she know she's compromising my plight to protect her?) She loves her dad. He generally comes home right at her bedtime when she is getting cranky, but she perks up for him every time. She also loves a good massage. She is learning to sit up and she gets on her hands and knees and rocks back and forth, lunging to get the things that she wants. Or rolling to get them. Especially the computer mouse when I am working next to her on the ground. Most nights she sleeps all the way through, but even when she wakes up occasionally at 4h to feed I am happy to see her.
I was a little nervous to have a girl, and granted I haven't had one for long, but we love having this girl energy in our home. For me in particular I have loved the way it has given me (and Daniel, but maybe against his will:)) the opportunity to reflect more deeply about gender and about girls' and women's issues. We may not be able to change the world, but at least in our little (or some would say enormous!) family we can try to promote gender equity and hopefully send some kids out into the world with a healthy sense of human and women's rights. I simply wonder to myself, now why was it again that it was such a difficult decision to have her?
