A Letter To Big Sister
With Mabel’s 1st birthday coming up so soon, there certainly are a lot of things that I have to say and share about her. And don’t worry- I most certainly will! But, I would be totally remiss if I didn’t take some time to talk about another super special girl who is coming up on the one year anniversary of the biggest change in her life to date.
Becoming a big sister.
That Abigail. From the time we told her that a baby was on the way, she just knew in her heart of hearts that it was going to be a sister. There was no convincing her of the alternative. When everyone else around her thought it might be a brother, she held strong. She knew her little sister was in there.
And on that day in December when the ultrasound tech said, “It’s a girl!” and Jim and I exclaimed in surprise, “Oh Abigail! You WERE right!” she simply said, “yeah, I know!” There was no surprise for her.
And from that point on, we simply tried to prepare and talk about the change that was coming. Though, there is really no way you can do that.
If you were to ask her then what thing she was most looking forward to, she would say, “the poopy diapers!!”
When Mabel was born that sweet heart of hers wanted to throw her a birthday party. Grammy and her put together a cake with a 0 candle, bought balloons, gifts, cards, and decor. They sang her “Happy Birthday” and to this day Abigail still talks about that celebration.
From the very start she was the very best big sister to her little sister.
Oh, we had adjustment issues. To be sure. It was a hard, hard summer for us with our sweet Abigail.
But, it was never, ever, EVER directed towards little sister. Not once. Not still. The adjustment came from the changes in attention and with Mommy and Daddy, but never was there ever resentment or diminished affection towards Mabel. From the start, there has been nothing but absolute love and adoration towards Mabel- and getting to watch that love grow and be returned has been one of the most wonderful things I have ever been privileged to witness.
This girl helps with the diapers and the burping and the playing.
She is the first to race in to greet her in the morning and after every nap.
She (mostly) shares her toys and reads her books, pushes her swings, strollers, and carts. She rinses her pacifiers and shares her food.
Fun story: I never even thought to give Mabel a sippy cup of water. The thought never crossed my mind. But it crossed Abigail’s. So she put together a sippy of water for Mabel and she guzzled it down right away. It was amazing!
She cheers her on with every new milestone. From tummy time, to rolling, to crawling, Mabel’s biggest cheerleader has always been her big sister.
Hugs, kisses, pats, and snuggles are never in short supply around here. 
And if you asked her today what her favorite thing about being a big sister is? She would still tell you “the poopy diapers!” and we would all laugh, because that is so Abigail.
But if you asked me what my favorite thing has been about watching her be a big sister is, I would tell you that it has been watching her learn to love and share with someone other than herself. To give without getting anything in return(yet!) To help someone who can’t help you. And, as time continues to go by, the absolute adoration Abigail has bestowed on Mabel is being returned ten fold. The awe and wonder that little sister looks up to big with, is breath taking.
After a long, long, long time of waiting and hoping for this, I can tell you with 100% certainty, that it was all worth it. Every tear, every month, every test, every supplement, every diet, every tincture….they all made this sisterhood possible. And I couldn’t be more thankful.
Crying. Sobbing. This is the sweetest, Courtney! I’m so happy for you and your little blessings! Mabel is so blessed to have the best big sister there ever was!
I have loved watching Mabel grow but more than anything seeing Abigail as a big sister has been so heartwarming. Girlfriend was made for the role.
Awe, she is the BEST big sister! I love that she wanted to throw a birthday party with a 0 candle 🙂
Courtney, this is so beautiful! Definitely teary eyed over here… I don’t have any littles of my own yet, but I can only hope that my future babies love each other the way that yours do. Abigail clearly has an amazing heart, and it’s also a testament to you and Jim… You’ve raised her to be sweet, selfless, and loving. You’re all so lucky to have each other.
So so sweet!! I never had any siblings and I can’t wait to see the bond with my littles someday. I hope it’s as good and sweet as your two girls. Also, Abigail has grown up so much since last year! Crazy!
Oh I just love this post. The relationship between Abigail and Mabel just melts my heart. Abigail is such a sweet, sweet little girl and such an amazing big sister. This makes me even more excited for Mila to be a big sister!
This is the most precious post! It’s such a joy to watch your sweet girls grow and read about how they love each other! Happy Big Sister Anniversary, miss Abigail!
Aaaaaaaand all the tears. I’m going to just be a big blubbery mess when this happens to us. I hope Abbie takes to it as well as Abigail did!
So, so sweet! Those girls are so blessed to have each other!
Mabel has grown so much over the past year, obviously, but Abigail. Oh Abigail. Courtney, she looks so, so grown up.
TEARS. SISTERS. #SPENASISTERS
AHHHHHH. I adore them.
xx
This was so sweet to read! Love Miss A!
Amen for big sisters! Every struggle and heartbreak before pales in comparison to the now, praise be to God.
oh gracious, those sweet girls!! this makes me emotional. i so relate to the big hearts and struggles and mini-mommy care taking. it melts me to pieces!!!! and i cannot believe how young abigail looks back when you found out about mabel!!
Oh the sweetness. This is so precious and I love every little thing about it. Abigail is one pretty little lady and the sweetest sister. I still love that she threw Mabel a birthday party when she came home from the hospital. Every picture, every story, every moment those girls have together [and with you] is just so sweet. I love this, I love them. They are blessed girls to have you as their mama and teach them how to love. And goodness sakes, Abigail has grown so much in the past year! How is that possible?!
Such a sweet letter! What a wonderful big sister Abigail is!! I am AMAZED at how much she has changed and grown in a year!! She looks like she grew 2 feet taller in the pics!!!
I love that she always knew she was getting a sister! So sweet. And I am melting over the fact that she wanted to have her a birthday party at her birth. This is the sweetest post! Those two are the cutest!
This was so perfect. Scarlett had a transition similar to Abigail’s. I just kept telling myself that this would all be worth it and she would never remember how hard it was in the beginning and she already doesn’t.
Holy smokes did Abigail ever grow up in the past year too! She went from still having a hint of baby to full blown little girl. These girls are so sweet together, you’re surely blessed mama! XO