There was a time when Alya was fascinated by baby noses, cute giggles that never liked to stop unless they were crying or just listening in stunned wonder, caught up in the joy of small baby hands. She used to watch them with her mother there and often her dad too whenever he could call off work too.
'Ella' and 'Etta' were just names to Alya as they hadn't become second nature to spell yet nor did they immediately just fit upon which girl was which, and yet Alya didn't mind as she practiced calling them the right names. For a little while, their parents dressed them differently, a different color for each girl, and a bracelet for each, so that their names never swapped as they grew up and came to learn who was who.
Alya had played guessing games, just older than them enough to have her own say, be able to read to them though their little eyes often flickered closed in a nap when Alya started to read. Usually Ella's eyes were the first to close as she snoozed to her big sister's voice and fully relaxed at Alya's gentle presence.
She'd found the twins so cool! Hardly anyone that she'd heard of ever had twin sisters, and Alya had younger twin sisters to help look after, to learn to change their diapers when her parents were off Maternity leave and the short leave her father had went on. Alya, being homeschooled, usually ended up finding her way through some classes online and spending time with her sisters, trying to teach them their first words, coming up with many that could be their first words one day.
Best of all, babies were naturally snuggly and warm though delicate, so Alya loved taking naps with them, crawling into bed, placing the pillows up just right so that they didn't fall off the bed and so that she didn't crush them and gently petting their heads until they fell asleep. Baby hair was so soft, and they tended to calm right down with such a gentle touch.
Alya found herself falling asleep watching them, listening to every soft breath that they took, and coming to find them as such cute little sisters. Those were the days when Alya loved being a big sister, loved just being around them, and those were the days that made sure that even when they'd fight one day, they still loved each other deep down.
Alya had learned to be a light sleeper for whenever the phone rang to talk to her parents, tell them about how well Etta and Ella were doing, or to wake up often to make sure that they're breathing fine. Some could say that somehow Alya had developed fox like ears, always listening, and looking out for the children though babies would grow into toddlers which changed bed sharing and cuddling into a different way of sleeping as the twins weren't separated by pillows anymore, but wanted to hold Alya's hands, wanted to just reach out and touch her, wanted to just be close.
One day, as they got a little bit older, and they'd grow more curious and talkative and want to just see what happened when one thing went wrong, the bed sharing would slowly stop, but for now, Alya couldn't be happier to cuddle with her little sisters and just let another day of homework and looking out for them end in some sleepy cuddles before Mom and Dad called to check up on the three of them, a habit of their parents' that never changed.