This month seems to have been a real turning point for Violet & Pearl. They’ve suddenly grown so close and have started to form the inseparable bond I always hoped they would have. They are so cuddly and affectionate towards each other it really melts my heart. Plus, things have eased up for me as when they are together in the house they’ll play together so I’m finally able to get a few tasks done without worrying about what they are up to.
When we are out and about, they’ll often hold hands, with Violet ‘helping’ Pearl along, chatting at her the whole way. Pearl quietly tags along, taking it all in, listening but not speaking yet. I can’t wait until they can both talk as I’m sure they’ll have the cutest conversations. Now Pearl is confidently walking we’ve been enjoying more trips outside in the fresh air, the girls just love running about together and playing at the park.
One of the things that has helped their bond is that we’ve started reading their stories together at bedtime, we do 3 stories in ‘Mummies Bed’ and then settle them in their rooms (although Violet has a habit of falling asleep in our bed every night!) – they love snuggling together and reading a book, although I’ve realised if the book has flaps/interactive bits it only leads to chaos, so I prep the stories in advance to ensure they aren’t going to fall out over who gets to lift the next flap!
Having an older sibling is really helping Pearl with her development. She has been refusing to drink water from a cup, so I’ve been giving Violet water in a sippy cup (even though she can drink out of an open cup now). Immediately I noticed Pearl was trying to copy Violet, proving this is a great way to help Pearl learn. The same thing is happening with nappies/potty training, although I feel Pearl is a bit young still she’s so aware of her nappy and often tugs at her clothing when she needs changing or brings me the mat – she will often refuse to put on a new nappy as Violet doesn’t wear them anymore. I think this is because she’s been around Violet whilst potty training so I’m hoping that when the time comes teaching her will be a breeze!
Of course, they do have their squabbles and often if they are overtired they will cry and set one another off. If there is only one of us home when this happens it can be really hard to get out of the ‘spiral’ – it’s impossible to comfort them together, they want my undivided attention so trying to divide myself only seems to make it worse! It can be utter chaos when this happens and makes me dread doing bedtime on my own but I tell myself this is just a phase. It’ll pass.
Violet’s also started to tell tales saying ‘Pearl has pushed me – she needs to say sorry!’ when often I’ll be watching them and its not true at all! Cheeky little monkeys, I feel I’m always learning about the next trick they will pull. They certainly keep me on my toes!
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