Okay, here's the question: how many bits of your heart can you give away before you don't have any left? Call the paramedics, 'cause now I've lost a whole lot of mine. Say hello to the inimitable Ms J and her baby sister, the smiley-puss, N. They visited the studio on different days, but I'm blogging them together. Ms J was such a hoot going costume-crazy--the studio is something of a paradise for dress-up. What a wonderful and fun person she is, and I hope to see more of her as she grows. She's a big girl 4 now, and I think she's destined for the big K pretty soon.
Ms J and Little N have the very same smile and it is one of the most fabulous I've ever seen. In Little N's face, it takes up the majority of the room for features and is, therefore, megawatt. Little N just couldn't stop grinning. And her language was very sophisticated for such a little sprout; she was organizing her thoughts into patterns of speech that cleverly mimicked adult intonations.
Here's what their delightful mom, S, has to say about them:
You are the mom of the baby with the greatest smile ever. How on earth do you cope with the world losing their marbles over your little girl (and her equally cute big sis)?
Well, we always appreciate the compliments over the smiles, and we do love the way her little mouth curls into that smile when she sees us. I have a feeling that we might have a hard time resisting anything she asks us for when she flashes that smile, so we'll have to be careful! But it is wonderful, and just reinforces for us how lucky we are with our beautiful girls.
Tell me your favourite all-time thing about your eldest daughter, J.
"Snuggle Time" in the mornings when she wakes up. From about age 1 1/2 until about 3, J. would come in to our bed in the morning for a snuggle (and a bottle of warm milk) before we all got up to start the day. She still occasionally graces us with a snuggle in the morning, but it's much more rare these days.
How did she handle the advent of a new sister?
J. has generally been a really tolerant and loving big sister. I think she was old enough when N. was born that she had some independence and didn't rely on us as much as a younger "big sibling" would have. She's always been interested in N., and rarely too rough. She's never asked us to "send N. back", which I know other big siblings often do. J. has also "been pregnant" and "had babies" many many times since her little sister was born - she seems to think that being a mommy is pretty great and having a baby around is neat. Now that N. is more active and able to play, I think J. is enjoying her even more, and she has been heard to say "Mummy, N. is my bestest friend ever!".
What is N's favourite thing to do? What is N's favourite toy? Favourite food?
N. LOVES to creep/scoot/crawl around, and to put anything and everything into her mouth. She also LOVES swings, and jolly jumping. Her favourite toy at the moment seems to be her Leap Table, which makes all kinds of wonderful sounds and has flashing lights etc. She also can't be without something to chew - a sock, a spoon, a stroller toy. Her favourite foods - sliced canned pears, which she will gobble up several slices at a time, and rice rusks and Cheerios.
What is J's favourite colour? Does she like running or jumping more? Is she looking forward to turning five and going to big kids' school? What is her favourite food? Favourite bedtime story?
J.'s favourite colour is pink, but she also loves combining many vibrant colours, preferably in many different patterns. She loves to jump, especially on her trampoline. She absolutely loves going to preschool, which she does every afternoon, and she's always asking me about going to kindergarten, and how old she'll be in grade 1, and so on. She thinks school is quite marvelous. Her favourite food (she says) is Maple & Brown Sugar Quaker Instant Oatmeal, although I'd say rice and Chicken Noodle Soup are very close seconds! Her current favourite bedtime stories are "Stella Fairy Of The Forest" by Marie-Louise Gay, "Miss Fannie's Hats" by Jan Karon, "Would You Rather?" by John Birmingham, and "My Dog" by Angela Joy.
How do you like being a mommy to two? How does your hubby like having two?
Two is fantastic, most of the time! We were always positive that we wanted more than one child. We are fortunate and blessed to have had two "easy" babies, and they are growing into wonderful girls. I'm glad we had some space between the girls (3 1/2 years) so that we had time with J. on her own, and that she's independent enough now that I also get some time with N. when J. is at preschool. They seem to have a good relationship - N. clearly adores her big sister and smiles every time she sees her. Hope it stays that way!
What is the biggest challenge in having two kids?
I think my biggest challenge is finding "me" time - I need a certain amount of quiet time to myself, which I got when J. was little while she napped, or even as she nursed I could read a book or snooze. But now when N. is napping or nursing, J. wants my attention and sometimes I feel like I just want to be quiet.
Oh, and getting out of the house in a relatively quick time is almost impossible! One day, I won't be always late!
This must be one of my favourite images ever. I have another take that's very close that I love just as much, but as you can tell, I already post too many images when I do get around to it:
And, well, this one's just for fun. I imagine N saying: Woman, if you don't put that dang camera down, I am going to choke myself until I pass out!
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