After Elia's two apnea episodes in the hospital, Amanda was constantly checking on her newborn. She spent hours staring at the baby monitor and she found it especially hard to sleep, but Elia was thriving. She was eating well, growing daily, and she had another pair of eyes on her almost every waking hour.
"She's so cute," said Emi, staring at her sister. "Can I hold her again?" Amanda chuckled and nodded her head. Emi knew the routine already. She sat down on the couch and made sure that she was settled before holding her arms out. "Remember--" Amanda began to say, but Emi interrupted. "--be gentle. She's delicate," she said, finishing Amanda's sentence. Pride swelled in Amanda's chest. "That's right," she aid, placing Elia in her big sister's arms. The infant cooed softly, looking up at Emi. It seemed like it wasn't so long ago that Emi was Elia's age. She was a happy baby, easily appeased and very consolable. In this way, Elia was similar, exhibiting the same general calmness. The only difference was that Amanda often had to wake Elia for a feeding while Emi used to scream her head off as soon as she got hungry. "Is she going to stay this little for a long time?" Emi asked. "Well.. I heard that babies this small grow rather fast," Amanda said. "We'll just have to see huh?" She gently stroked Emi's hair. What she really wanted to say was that all children grew way too quickly. One moment, they were in your arms, and the next they were turning seven years old. Before you knew it, they had minds of their own, blossoming personalities that baffled, their own interests. Amanda glanced at the pictures on the table, beautiful photos that Rico had taken of Emi. She was certainly blossoming. "Elia will grow fast, but always be my little girl," Amanda told Emi. "Just like you'll always be my little girl. No matter how big you get."
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Amanda at a GlanceNames: Amanda Pontremoli, Amanda van Loon Archives
August 2017
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