In all seriousness, they have been getting along so well for the last few weeks. I know I am jinxing it, but it melts my heart to see. Serena is growing up and as she's able to communicate more and more I see that her relationship with her sister is improving. Calli enjoys playing with her now because they are finally on the same level and love doing the same things. As I type they are both painting in their paint books at the table. Anytime they do anything at the table, Serena proclaims "I'm next to Calli!" She is devestated if you tell her she cannot sit next to her big sister, so this pretty much isn't an option. We have rearranged our dinner table so Richard and I are sitting next to each other and the girls can be together. This was pretty challenging at first and still isn't the best option; they need help serving their food, cutting things up and getting refills and meanwhile Richard and I are constantly bumping elbows (I can't wait until we can have a bigger dining table!). In the morning the girls sit together at the bar and eat their cereal. I am actually really surprised that Serena hasn't requested to sit next to Calli in the car, but there I go jinxing things again.
Now that my girls are finally playing nice together it's sad that Calli is getting ready to go off to school in a month. I know Serena is really going to miss her sister. I am glad that they had these two and a half years to bond together at home, but their time together is going to be cut significantly short. Calli's days will be filled with school and homework at night with not much time for her sister. Of course Serena has Jameson, but it's just not the same. She'll play with her dolls while he'll have his Tonka trucks and I'm sure they'll interact, but let's be real: as he gets older he's not going to want to play Barbies and dress up all day long. Plus I'm sorry, but there is just a special and unique bond between sisters (every girl should have one!) and it's been really fun to watch this coming out between my girls recently. I remember being pregnant with Serena and not knowing whether she was a boy or a girl. I would have people ask me all the time and then inquire if I wanted a boy since I already had a girl. And sure, a boy would have been nice, but NO. Honestly I wanted a sister for Calli and was estatic to have another little girl.
The girls have been spending more time together in our house so maybe that's why they've been getting on so well; they really have no choice! Summers here are so hard; when you wake up in the morning it is already 85 degrees out and by noon the heat index is at 100. Every. Day. From May to September. (April to October if we're really unlucky!). Needless to say, we can't go to the park or do any other outdoor activities. The pool isn't an option because I am sorely outnumbered with only one who can swim on her own with a life jacket. So I am stuck doing the same things over and over again; going to the indoor mall with the play area and going to a play place. But now that I have three kids I have to pay for at the play place, it gets expensive. So we're stuck at home most days or maybe go to a friend's house once a week. That hasn't happened much lately because I quit my playgroup amid some drama going on and have distanced myself from some people. My very close friend just had a baby last week so playdates with her will be few for a short time. I did get to visit her in the hospital (the same one that I had Serena and Jameson at. Walking through the doors that I walked through every day for nearly two weeks to visit Jameson in the NICU made my heart catch in my throat and memories come flooding back). Her little boy is so adorable and so LITTLE. You truly forget how small newborns are until you see one, especially when you have older kids. She stopped by yesterday and seeing her brand new son next to my one year made me realize how fast mine have grown. I perhaps had a tiny touch of baby fever...time for Baby #4? I know what you all are screaming at your computer screen right about now, Richard included.
It's so bittersweet seeing your kids grow up and I feel like mine have been doing that in leaps and bounds lately. Calli is about to go off to kindergarten next month, how did that happen? I have started reading her the Ramona books in anticipation of the movie coming out. I used to absolutely love these books as a kid and I wanted to share them with her. They are short chapter books and I wondered if they would hold her attention, but every time I reached the end of a chapter she would say "more!". We finished the first book in two days! I am waiting on the library to have the next one in. I am sure with the new movie everyone is checking these books out.
Serena is growing up way too fast also. She has just been so cute lately, when she hasn't been frustrating that is. Last Friday evening while I was at the salon getting my hair done Richard had all three kids. I am so sad that I missed this big event and I didn't even believe Richard when he first told me what happened the next morning! Apparently Serena said that she didn't need her paci and she wanted to throw it in the garbage because she was a big girl now! So off they went to the trash to toss out her paci and she slept all night just fine. I was very worried that throwing it in the garbage was a bit too final because what if she did need it the next night? Now it has been nearly a week and she has slept just fine without it and only asked about it once or twice. I am still in shock that she decided to get rid of it all on her own! Calli has also taken it upon herself to potty train her sister. One day last week they found an old bag of pull-ups (left over from Calli, I was saving them for Serena) and came downstairs with Serena in one. Calli announced that Serena was going to go to the potty so they went into the bathroom and Calli sat with her while she sat on the toilet. After that, every 15-20 minutes Calli would tell Serena it was time to go potty and Serena would follow her into the bathroom and try to go. She never actually did go, but she really likes wearing pull-ups and I think she likes feeling like a big girl. I am definitely not pushing her, but at least she is interested in it. Do you know how many diapers I change a day between her and Jameson??
And my baby Jameson, who is no longer a baby at all but a full blown toddler. He walks everywhere and can finally get up off the floor by himself without having to crawl over to something to pull himself up on. He says "uh-oh" and gives really sloppy and drooly kisses, but they are so sweet and I love them! He comes at you with his mouth completely open, ready for a kiss. I love it! He's almost always got a big smile on his face, especially when he is into mischief, which is a lot. He gets into EVERYTHING. Having a boy is so much different from how my girls were. Jameson explores anything and everything; nothing is off limits so I have to make sure that everything is completely baby proof. He gets into cabinets and drawers, turns the TV on and off, unplugs electrical wires and will enter any room that has the door left open. He'll crawl up the stairs faster than you can catch him if you leave the gate off. And I don't even have any toys in the house with small pieces: it's so much easier that way! This kid sure does keep me on my toes and most days I don't know what I'm doing when it comes to raising him, but I sure do love him.
My days can be long and trying, difficult and tiring...but I look at their smiling faces and know it is all worth it!
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