Iris is my "middle child". I've been warned about how hard this position is in a family. I'm not sure what Iris thinks about it, because aside from going through a developmental bump that makes her a little mischievous now and then, she is a most pleasant child. She didn't event resent the arrival of her baby brother. I mean, she was absolutely lovely about it.
I have my opinions...maybe it's because she is a Sagitarrian. Maybe it's because she was born during a very happy time in my motherhood when I could work part-time and maintain a cheery little house in Richmond, Virginia. Maybe it's just her apparent understanding, patient, generous role in our family.
As a plump little baby, Iris nursed every morning somewhere between 2:30 and 3:00 a.m. As she grew into a toddler, this is when she would plead for a bowl of cereal, which we would appease. And, now, most every night, Iris comes back to my bed. At 6 1/2, her long legs can be found in my face, or her toes are felt wiggling against my bottom. She crowds me out. Sometimes, I get up. Then, as she has for years, she finds me. (Iris is perceptive AND she has good hearing. You can't turn on a lamp or close a door without her knowing. She even knows if you hold your body still and open one eyelid...I've tested her repeatedly.)
Iris with coffee and toast she made for her dad, with his choice of jam or butter.
A friend told me to try to find 15 minutes with each one of my children each day, and the guilt of this often-missed task weighs heavily on me (when I remember it!). Finding fifteen minutes when you have three children can be hard, and Iris must know early morning is the best time to catch me...I've come to cherish all the quiet early morning moments I've had with her. Our "fifteen minutes" before everyone else in the house comes alive.
Iris, I love you, and I like the strong cups of coffee you brew for dad and I. You lived in a Cinderella dress for two years, you have knuckle dimples, your hands are always warm, and I am quite sure that some day, at 3:00 am, I will long for you to wake me up just as you do now.
