One month into our new routine now and I think we are all starting to get into the swing of it. Enjoy it, even.
Most days Aurora asks if she is going to Pre School, so I take that as a really good sign that she is enjoying it. It’s really become obvious over the past few weeks just how grown up she is. The fact we can have full conversations now, as if with a friend, is absolutely incredible, and I think because I have witnessed it happening so gradually, it hasn’t been that obvious. But in talking to friends and family, who see her less frequently than I do, everyone has been sharing the same opinion.
She seems to have started to understand emotions and is showing the beginning of what looks like empathy. Unfortunately, the reason either Luna or I require her to be empathetic, is because Aurora has more than likely just thrown a wooden toy at one of us, pushed Luna over, or kicked her full force in the head.
On a side note, I appreciate that the hitting and kicking stage is a phase that a lot of toddlers go through, especially towards their siblings – and with Aurora it is only towards Luna, thankfully, or not thankfully… however you look at it. I read recently that if your toddlers hits, or kicks, you shouldn’t have a big reaction, just simply say, “we don’t hit/kick” and move them away from the target. I probably successfully do this about 10% of the time.. because I cannot convince myself that it is effective, but more importantly feel such a primal sense of protection over Luna, that even though it is Aurora causing the injury, I react as if it was any Tom, Dick, or Harry and want to get my little baby to safety. If anyone has any tips or tricks to discourage this behaviour, or can guarantee that it really is a phase, then I will feel slightly better about it, and may even try to increase my ‘smaller reaction’ to closer to 100% of the time, but if not… then I shall continue to behave like a Mama Bear, who’s cub is in danger.
Our little Luna bug… I have still been carrying out the same bed time routine as I mentioned last week, and getting her to sleep is going well – no crying, just moving about the cot for 10 – 20 minutes, maybe with a couple of little back rubs in there, but usually she does not want any physical contact (literally picking my hand up off of her!!) and she is falling asleep on her own, with me by her cot. Last night we had just 2 wakes, and she fed super quickly before falling back to sleep again each time – but every other night for the past week it had been back to 4 or 5 wakes, and then waking for good around 5am most mornings... She is chewing her finger like crazy and has the occasional rosy red cheek, so I think we may have tooth number 7 (and 8, as like her sister, she seems to only get her teeth in pairs..!) on its way! She is also DEFINITELY having a growth spurt as suddenly a lot of her clothes are too small for her, and lastly, I had a notification on my phone yesterday that she has just entered Leap 7. Thanks guys. I’m not following the leaps anywhere near as much this time, as I did with Aurora, as I think you can get a little obsessed with it, but also… second baby… who has time!? But I do believe that they are pretty accurate with the timings. If ever Aurora was being a little tricky, more clingy than usual, changes in temperament etc, I would check the Wonder Weeks app and yes, she would be entering a leap within the next few days. That, or it was a full moon!!
Highlights of the week this week, Aurora said the entire alphabet yesterday, without looking at it written down, or any prompts from me. Absolutely fantastic and although I have been doing quite a bit of letter learning with her, I almost feel like she taught herself! Just proves how much she takes in without it seeming like I’m ‘teaching’ her.
Luna’s fringe is now long enough to be clipped back, which has suddenly made her look about 15 years old. She also now looks a lot more like a girl… that and the fact that her little teeth give her the cutest smile, she really is looking adorable at the moment!
Aurora and Luna met their beautiful little cousin Isla at the weekend which was one of the most heart warming sights to see. Aurora really wanted to hold her, so we set up all the cushions and positioned her on her lap, with Luna by her side, and luckily the rest of my family took lots of pictures because I just cried. It was so special to see my two girls, and my baby brothers little girl, all together, my emotions just spilled over <3
I got to see my wonderful friend Ames and her handsome baby boy, born at the beginning of the month. It was so great to see her, as a mummy, and to get some new born snuggles, I don’t think you can ever have too many!
We have more babies due to join the gang soon, and I cannot get enough of them! It is really making me broody, and even hearing the complaints and struggles fills me with the memories of our two, along with the realisation that they are not babies anymore! I didn’t really experience this after Aurora. Firstly, there weren’t as many new babies joining our group, secondly, we were just coming out of lock down and the world was all a bit weird, but lastly, I knew – or at least hoped – that we would have another baby, whereas now… I know that our family is (almost 100% certainly) complete. In one way, it is incredibly exciting to know that we have our family, and this is how we are going to grow, together, forever. But in another way, I am sad that I will never be pregnant again, because I absolutely loved it. I loved everything about it, even though pregnant stomachs used to freak the hell out of me when I was a teenager. Feeling your little baby moving around inside you, is a feeling that just cannot compare to anything else. It is so special. The growing bump, the healthy looking hair, the ‘glow’. Trying to imagine what your baby will look like, whether it will be a boy or a girl, how they will fit in to your family, what your birth will be like. I just loved it all and am a little sad that I won’t experience it again. But I am already out numbered with these two most of the time, while Luke is at work, so I cannot even imagine what it would be like with 3. My mum was a brave lady..!
I’m attempting to write this while The Baby Club is on in the background, and the amount of times that I have been distracted by it, stopped to listen to the entire ‘Clap your hands’ song, and entranced by whatever it is that is in the bag, is a little worrying.
I think I am going to change when I write this blog, as the initial idea was that I would drop Aurora off at Pre School, Luna would have a nap, I'd spend 15-30 mins writing and then I could get some housework done, without a toddler insisting they helped (it's not that helpful). Or if Luna wasn't napping, we could play wonderfully together, again, without the toddler. But in reality - Luna does not nap at this time of day anymore and writing this is taking hours rather than minutes. So that's decided. This can be a Wednesday evening job from now on.
Luna is currently crawling and diving headfirst into a beanbag chair so I need to go and immerse myself in that and enjoy my time with my love.
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