A year ago this week, I blogged about feeling bad about Avery’s little-sister status:

Things for Avery are way more chaotic than they ever were for Zoe: it seems like she’s always around loud talking/singing/crying, and she’s often poked, prodded and squeezed – especially when she’s eating. (For some reason, Zoe loves to come “see” Avery when she’s enjoying her milk.) She also doesn’t get our sole attention like Zoe did as a baby; I feel like much of Avery’s time is spent on the sidelines, watching us interact with her much more high-maintenance sister.

For many months I felt sad for Avery – even a bit guilty that I had her, since it felt like she was playing second-fiddle to her sister. I’m happy to report, though, that those feelings went away, for the most part, a long time ago. While it’s true that Zoe is still (relatively) high-maintenance, and Avery does her fair share of watching from the sidelines, Avery has emerged as a vocal and strong member of the family, too. (The first time I saw her pull Zoe’s hair in retaliation for something, I actually felt a little proud. This is a little girl who knows how to stand up for herself, I thought. We don’t have to worry about her!) Considering this and the the fact that Avery gets the love and attention of three people, not just two, I think Zoe’s little sister has it pretty good!

-M