Siblings – June 2016

It’s a relief to be the other side of Jessica’s cardiac catheter procedure this month and I was proud of both my girls with how well they coped with Jessica’s hospital admission.  We’re very fortunate to have plenty of friends in Southampton who provide the most wonderful support every time we find ourselves back in hospital there.  Sophie and Daddy were able to stay nearby with a couple of friends of ours although spent most of the time at the hospital.  Last time we were in for a cardiac catheter procedure Sophie was a tiny baby, which in many ways made things a little easier. This time of course, she needed to be kept amused too! One of my favourite moments with the girls while we were on the ward was seeing them racing each other down the corridor in the Little Tikes cars.

It’s lovely to see how caring the girls can be with each other.  From the hugs and kisses they always have to give each other at bedtime, to deciding they both wanted to sleep together in Sophie’s cot one night, and little moments such as when Sophie lost her helium balloon and Jessica comforted her by telling her “Sophie, your balloon has gone to the moon now, but don’t worry.  You can share mine” which was followed by the girls walking hand-in-hand holding the balloon together as we made our way back indoors.  I love seeing that beautiful bond between them continue to grow as they get bigger and I hope that they will always have that wonderful relationship with each other.

This month’s photos were taken on our family holiday during a walk up to the Iron Age fort at Cadbury Camp.  Both the girls love exploring and getting out and about and it’s lovely to watch them both having so much fun outdoors.

Jessica (4 years 9 months)

• Drew a lovely picture of a princess and then wrote the princess’s name above it. It might have been a random assortment of letters but it was the first time she’s done any writing by herself.
• Coped so well with her recent cardiac catheter procedure. She just took it all in her stride and was smiley and happy right up to the moment she went off to sleep. Unsurprisingly she wasn’t quite so happy when she woke up but within a couple of hours, that beautiful smile started to re-emerge. I was so proud of her for being so brave.
• Managed to climb a small rock climbing wall for the first time.
• Had her preschool “graduation” photo taken (sob!) and got a good report at her final preschool parents evening. She’s doing everything she should be at her age which is always reassuring to hear.
• Has started to make up her own stories and tell them to us as part of our bedtime story routine.

Sophie (2 years 7 months)

• Managed to do a 54 piece jigsaw all by herself.
• Wants to do whatever Jessica does which makes it quite challenging when height restrictions mean that she can’t. She’s made a beeline for play areas designed for older children a few times and being quite quick, has often climbed quite high before we’ve managed to catch up, and has not been at all happy at being stopped!
• Loves “reading” books to her toys and is getting very good at memorising her favourite stories. She can do most of “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” from memory.
• Has been sleeping in a big girl bed during our holiday. Looks like it’s time to take the sides off the cot now!
• Has also started to ask to sit on the toilet which is a good sign considering we’re planning on potty training over the summer.