Growing up

S recently turned three and a half, and A one and a half. For me, this is a big milestone because when A was an infant then through the sleepless nights (for the first month and a half she slept only around 4 am, and from the eighth month onwards she suddenly started waking every hour) and the difficulty in feeding (from the time she was 3 months to 7 months A would refuse milk every other feed and feeding her was an exercise in frustration), and through the difficult periods with S (she would scream when I started feeding A and have sudden mood swings related to me spending time with A) at the back of my mind I kept thinking let S turn 3 and 1/2 and A turn 1 and a 1/2 and things will improve.

And touchwood they have. So mothers with young kids, have hope.

Physically, the work required is much lesser. Their meal times and sleep schedules coincide. I continue to make life difficult for myself by feeding them different food from each other, but I A already asks for whatever S is having, and feeds herself the same from a bowl while I try to feed her her normal diet. So I guess very soon their diets will also coincide.

Emotionally, the two are great company for each other. In an earlier post I had mentioned how great a baby sitter S is. And its true, I'm able to get a lot of the housework done with S entertaining A. Half the time in the kitchen I can hear S inventing some game for the two of them to play together, or giving A a lecture on how she was not supposed to do something. The other day I found them both lying on the bean bag together and reading books!! S was looking through the pictures in her favourite book, and A ever ready to copy her sister was also lying down and reading a book (which was upside down).

If S was not around I would find it a lot tougher to look after A. When we go on holidays, many a time the kids would be playing quietly (or not) together while the hubby and I can chat- whether it be at the beach when they play in the sand together, or in the hotel room where they'll be jumping on the sofa together. They have a ready playmate in each other, and also get confidence in being together- S used to refuse to sit alone in a playroom in a restaurant while the hubby and I ate, but now with A in tow, the two of them can keep each other busy for a while in a separate play room while we have a meal without constant interruption. The park is also much easier as A insists on doing whatever S does and is now physically capable of doing many of the things- swings, slides ( not climbing up though), sandpits, paddle pool etc. And S does look out for A quite a bit. Sometimes I can just sit on the bench and surf the net while the two of them play in the sandpit secure in the knowledge that if A does something very naughty I will hear a sharp note of admonishment from S.

Yes there are challenges and difficulties. I find it difficult to do activities with S because A wants to do everything, so if S is writing something in a book A will also want a pen (and the next thing I know the sofa is full of scribbles!) and I'm able to spend less time with S and A individually than I would have liked to. Sometimes I feel S is getting slowed down because of A, because A wants to do everything S does and I end up telling S to stop doing something, or do it later (which never finally happens). Hopefully this will get solved once their school routine is set in because twice a week S will be in school on days when A is not at daycare and I'll get to spend time with A, and once a week A will be in the daycare for a couple of hours after S school gets over, and right now I've promised myself to do something fun with S for those couple of hours every week.

So my darling S and A, you've both grown so much and adjusted to having each other around. I hope you always remain the best of friends (and make life easy for me :))