Day 4 of Advent is going just fine. Katherine is getting the hang of this whole calendar thing: now she knows to ask for the color to the right of the cone we took down the previous day. I’ve been assured “Red ‘morrow” and reminded, “Green, green!” when it looked like she might go down for a nap without our little celebration. She was a bit stumped today, though, when we got to one of the wildly patterned origami papers, which included red, white, and green. It’s good to keep her on her toes 🙂
As an older sibling, I could never fathom why my parents had gone on to have more children. I mean, didn’t I show them how the baby thing was done? I hit every stage first and thought I made a good job of it, too. So what fun is it to come afterward? But as I watch Nathaniel, I can see that there are some benefits to coming second in line. As a parent, I am really enjoying the first signs of interaction between my kids, as Katherine makes him smile, or as his cries send her running to comfort him, and I can’t wait to see more of that as they grow (yes, even the fighting). This past week Katherine wanted to help the baby read a book, so she and I sat on either side of him, and as we turned the pages he had “Mooooo!” and “Meoooooow” in enthusiastic stereo. He was delighted, and it occurred to me that that is not something Katherine got when she was a baby. I hope he continues to reap benefits from this arrangement!
One big difference we’ve noticed with Nathaniel: although we still wonder whether Katherine understands “No!” we’ve already found that Nathaniel responds to it. He instantly stops what he’s doing and looks up to us for guidance. I’m not saying it will last, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he followed orders more than his older sister.
Erin
Alan Schmierer
Our first child was a darling little girl, with long, dark eyelashes, who did not sleep through the night for many months, and had colic. Our second child was a darling little boy who slept through the night at about six weeks, and did not have colic.
There is little in life that warms the heart of a parent, as when they watch their children playing and having fun together, and see their love for each other.