Siblings

Look at me blogging away! It is amazing what you can get done with a couple of good naptimes (and late nights)…

I alluded to Annika’s relationship with Lucy and Elise in my last post, but I decided it deserved a full blog. Like I said before, Annika has really been great with her sisters, but it hasn’t always been that way. We had a rough go for a little while. She has always been excited about her sisters, and that was part of the problem. She almost pulled them off the couch a couple of times trying to hold them, and she about yanked their arms out of their sockets trying to pick them up to dance with them. I never dared leave them within her reach. I am glad they are bigger now and can take a bit more abuse. She has also struggled with the significant decrease in attention since the arrival of her sisters. We had a bad biting (and hitting and scratching) problem for a little bit. The twins had little scabs on their fingers from her biting them. I think I broke every parenting resolve I ever made trying to fix that behavior. Eventually (after some consistent negative consequences) she woke up one morning and said “I’m not going to bite my baby sisters anymore.” That was that.

Life as a younger sibling isn't always easy

Eating Shouldn’t be this Painful from Erica Holland on Vimeo.

Now she is becoming a good helper. She can always make them smile and laugh, and I think she is proud of that. She likes to read books to them and show them her toys. She plays patty-cake, itsy-bitsty spider and peek-a-boo. She loves to say “goo” to them, and get a response in kind. Sometimes I try to talk to them, and she says “Mommy, they don’t know how to talk.” I can’t feed them without letting her help, and changing diapers together has become a part of our daily routine. The love her to death, and they both light up when she comes into the room. Annika can make Lucy and Elise happy in a way that I can’t. She still has her moments, however. She struggles when I spend one-on-one time with them; she doesn’t like to be ignored. Lately she gets very frustrated when I need to feed them. She says “No, Mommy! Don’t feed them! They’re not hungry!”  All in all, I am proud of the love she shows them and her willingness to help. I hope they will be great friends someday.

Now for the photographic and video evidence . . .

Yeah! from Erica Holland on Vimeo.

Patty-cake from Erica Holland on Vimeo.

After looking back over this post, I feel like it could alternately be called “Erica’s Real Life.” Apparently you get to see how we really roll around here. Mismatched pajamas (or no pants at all), hair undone, toys scattered across the floor, papers on the desk, and breakfast dishes still on the table. It’s all a true reflection of my life. I think we’re doing ok.