Watching Sophie and Thomas together reminds me so much the way my girls were together. The way that Sophie encourages him on when out for a walk brings back memories of how she used to help encourage Jessica on when Jessica was struggling. The way she looks out for him, and tells him what to do reminds me of how Jessica was with her. They really do have the most beautiful bond which is wonderful to see.
Of course, seeing that beautiful bond between Sophie and Thomas will always be bittersweet. I try and imagine what it would have been like for Thomas to have a big sister holding a hand on each side; both encouraging him on. How Jessica would have been aware of her special role as the “big” big sister, wanting to care for and protect both her siblings. And of course, there would have been moments when she and Sophie swapped roles as Sophie was always protective of Jessica with her special heart, and conscious of when we needed to adapt to Jessica’s pace. Oh there would have been so many beautiful moments – as well as plenty of bickering too, no doubt!
Sometimes those pictures in my mind of what life would have been like with the three of them make me smile; and sometimes they break my heart with longing for what can never be. But Jessica is there in the little moments – I can hear echoes of her in some of the things that Sophie and Thomas say, and see her in the way Sophie looks after their little brother.
Our photos this month are from our first day out since the start of lockdown. We had a lovely afternoon at Chiltern Open Air Museum. It’s one of our favourite places to visit and somewhere that the girls always loved going to. Watching Sophie and Thomas walking hand-in-hand through the woods brought back so many memories of seeing Sophie and Jessica doing the same.
Thomas (1 year 11 months)
- Has started climbing everything! He’s not yet managed to climb out of his cot, but I suspect he’ll work it out at some point, which will be a first for us as the girls never climbed out of the cot.
- Has started having tantrums and really doesn’t like the word “no” at the moment, although half the time I have no idea what has caused the frustration and triggered the tantrum.
- Can now recognise and count numbers up into the 20s and recognises most letters.
- Was unwell with a high temperature a couple of weeks ago and ended up being tested for Covid-19. Thankfully the test was negative and within a couple of days he was back to his usual happy self.
- Loves small world play. Sophie’s PAW Patrol toys are a particular favourite at the moment.
Sophie (6 years 8 months)
- Has lost her other top front tooth and now has a big gap at the top with three teeth missing now, all lost in the last three months. She’s certainly keeping the tooth fairy busy.
- Had fun joining in with a virtual children’s party organised by Little Hearts Matter.
- Had a lovely school report. It was strange only having a report for half the school year, but she was doing well and has continued to do well with home-schooling. We found out which class she will be in next year. Unfortunately, most of her friends, apart from her best friend, will be in a different class though.
- Had an allergic reaction to something which made her face go red and puffy. We’re not completely sure what caused it but think it was possibly a reaction to one of the weeds in the garden.
- Is coming up to the end of term and we’ll be relaxing the home-learning over the summer holidays. I’m so proud of how well Sophie has adjusted to home-schooling and how well she has coped with things over the past few months.
Jessica (forever 6 years 7 months)
- We passed the nine-year anniversary of Jessica’s very first “heart day” – the in-utero surgery that gave her a chance of life. Forever grateful to the team who were involved in that surgery and helped give us those six and a half years with Jessica.
