“Is it a boy or a girl?” everyone asked when I was pregnant. I’d tell them I didn’t know and didn’t care, as long as my baby was healthy. But when I held my brand new baby up and saw she was a girl, I cried. I’d made a sister for my older girl, four years apart, just like me and my own sister.
“Oh you’ll be trying for a third now, maybe you’ll have a boy next time!” lots of people said to me afterwards. The jury’s still out on whether a third child will ever be on the cards for us (definitely not if the husband gets his way) but, I must admit, I feel more than content with my lot at having two girls. I have two beautiful girls who are lively, funny and interesting in their own right – even though one’s only seven months old. Recently though, they’ve become lively, funny and interesting TOGETHER. And now the fun stuff really begins.
Mornings on a weekday are chaotic. I’ll often mutter swear words under my breath at some point. But there are moments – little pockets of sweetness – that calm the rising stress of trying to do a million things at once before 8am. Like realising the baby’s no longer crying in her cot while I brush my teeth, and emerging from the bathroom to find my four year old reading her a story. Or hearing giggles from both girls as they bounce around my bedroom together, the four year old putting on a show just to make her baby sister laugh. It strikes me that these are the moments I’ll remember when I’m old. These are the colourful threads weaving my life together.
“Muuuuuuuuuum! She’s trying to steal my toys!” Frog will inevitably moan at various points throughout the day. “Argh! Stop annoying me!” I’ll hear as I’m trying to cook tea. But as irritating as she often finds her, Frog can’t help but chuckle as Baby Girl clambers all over her, trying to plant sticky, sucky, baby kisses all over her big sister’s face.
I’m reminded of snapshots of my own childhood: performing Kylie Minogue dances to my own baby sister who was strapped in her seat, unable to escape; the irritation when she wanted to join in with a game but would crawl all over it and wreck it instead; the proud, fierce love I felt for her overriding any petty annoyances that she’d trashed my Sylvanian Families game. Any tinge of sadness that my own girls are growing up too quickly is quelled by the excitement I feel at seeing their relationship develop. I wonder if they’ll be close, sharing clothes and gossip just like me and my own sister.
I hope so. Sisters are pretty cool.
Funny how life works out……
I am the eldest of 3 Girls and went on to have 3 Girls myself (mine are the reverse age gaps to me & my Sisters though!)
I swore blind after Number 2 came along I wasn’t having anymore, and I shouldn’t really have been surprised when our last ditch attempt at a Blue one was, in fact, another Pink one!
Sometimes, I have deja vu moments watching them play (&/or bicker) with each other, but I’m equally fascinated by just how different they are to my sisters and I – my youngest is very much “The Boss” where as my younger Sister was permanently shouting “Wait me Scissors” according to my Mum!
As the teens creep ever closer (Big was 10 this year), I’m mostly curious how the dynamics will shift once the hormones kick in…….and if I will need to move out……
Ha – my grandma had four girls and a boy. She’d probably advise moving out for the teenage years!
Such a lovely picture, of them both together. yes I can definitely say sisters have a wonderful relationship.
XXX
They really are aren’t they?!
I used to always want a sister growing up! I used to make my little brothers dress up in my clothes and pretend to be my sisters haha! They’ll be so close growing up, how lovely for them xx
Abigail Bryony | http://www.lilymaeadventures.com
Sounds like you had very pliant brothers! I did the same with my younger sister – we’d do makeovers and I’d curl her hair like she was my doll. Poor kid! x
So lovely. I think my girl would make a good sister, but it’s just the one for us x
There are obvious benefits of being an only child – not having to share toys would be my big girl’s biggest one!
Mr C is adamant he doesn’t want a third but I can’t imagine only having two kids as we are both one of four and that feels more like normal to me. I love watching my two play together, it makes all the hard work worth it, it took Cherry about a year to adjust to Tiger’s arrival but now she loves him, luckily! x
It is hard work but I agree – it’s totally worth it. x
this is so lovely Molly and makes me excited for Wilf to have a sibling! I hate the whole ‘wonder what you’re having talk’ people have already started asking me if I don’t have a girl will I try for a third *rolls eyes* I just want a healthy baby! x
I’m so excited for you Fritha!
I love my sister a little bit more every day, even at 29 (her) and 32. It’s not always been quite so amicable, we were both very boystrous small people but this past two years in particular life would be very different for us if we didn’t have one another. Lovely read, I wish I could remember more of mine and Sis’s earlier days xxx
siblings relationships are lovely, I loved having my eldest two 18 months apart, now however the dynamics of the family are different they are both oldr (13 and 12) and not as close as they were, but still I think they secreatly would miss each other should one not be around, then of course i have Mikey whos 8 and baby Noah and so there is big age gaps there, Chloe doesn’t get on with Mikey at all really but Jke and Miey mostly do, I do hope that once hey are all adults they find a way to be supportive to each other extended family is important, I have one siser but we never speak which is a shame really, means I have very little family for me or my children x
Sisters are awesome! I love that I have my two girls and seeing the similarities in their relationship to the one I have with my sister, but adding a baby brother to the mix has turned out to be a pretty good thing too
I LOVE this Molly- sisters are the best. I am so proud of mine and I love that we have given them a special bond for life. They drive me insane, especially as they get older because they argue and fight more than ever, but they also are as thick as thieves and it quite honestly makes me the proudest person in the entire history of the world ever when I see them cuddling up together.