Emma is always looking for an opportunity to snuggle with Mary, who despite rarely wanting to be in confined quarters with her sister, is quite the snuggler with her mom and dad. Today, she must have had just the right touch with Mary, for she got a few seconds of closeness when she climbed into Mary’s crib after her morning nap. I barely had enough time to run into my desk to get the camera before Mary slipped into a log roll to get out of the tight space.
If you could see the subsequent shots on my camera, the next one would be of Emma, still in that blissful fetal position, eyes squeezed shut, with a blur of baby beside her. Followed by,Emma, eyes now open, realizing the splendid moment has passed, and a large, pudgy baby hand reaching for my camera.
I know how Emma feels. When Mary raps her chubby arms around my neck I feel frozen, afraid the slightest breath or movement will cause her to snap out of the embrace. And sometimes, just like Emma’s attempts to lay her sister back down in the crib, I will try to wrap her arms around my neck to duplicate the special moment, but the fickle 16 month old has moved on.