The World's Greatest Big Sister

Luke you are so lucky to have Maddie as your big sister. She loves you sooooo much. Your big sister could quite possibly have been more excited for your arrival than your own parents. And that is saying a lot since you were so big I COULD NOT WAIT TO GET YOU OUT of my stomach during those final few weeks. She began lobbying for a sibling not too long after Daddy and I got engaged. She and Nana were the first two people to find out whether you were a boy or a girl. Maddie was over the moon to hear she was getting a little brother.
You are the first person she greets in the morning after she wakes up. Maddie will creep down the stairs, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, tip toe into our room and sneak a kiss on your head before she wakes me up for morning TV. And when she leaves for school, she pauses to give you another kiss. It does not matter that your are sleeping, she just wants you to know you are loved. Maddie is so proud of you, boasting to everyone her little brother is "soooo CUTE!"

The tenderness she showers you with never ceases to amaze me. My hope for the two of you is that your love and support for one another continues to grow and blossom. May your bond prevent the rivalry that so many siblings seem to fall victim to. And may the two of you forage a united team, a shoulder to lean on through life's ups and downs. She is the only one who will share your history. The one who will know just HOW crazy your parents are. The only who will be able to laugh with you when you talk about family vacations. The only one who knows how Dad cringes when he hears mom mention the need for a "family day". The only one who will intimately know all of the family traditions you shared throughout your childhood. And the only who will know how good it felt to sit around the evening dinner table while sharing the day's adventures.