The good, the bad...

Olivia sharing her fries with her faithful companion, Bunny.



These pix show some of the good, the bad, and the not-so-rosy moments. Olivia continues to be a pretty easy child, which by comparison, sometimes makes Emily seem difficult during this adjustment period. Emily usually has good intentions initially, but when her little sister isn't complying to her satisfaction she's been known to use some man handling which often results in an unhappy sister and parents.

In this unhappy photo, I'd asked to girls to stand by Daddy so I could take their picture with the kite...when Olivia didn't comply, Emily took it upon herself to "help" and dragged her sister kicking and screaming for the joyful picture. ...big sister thought she knew better than her parents and held tighter despite our requests to let go...and then got scolded for not listening...resulting in an all out meltdown by child #1 that she and parents didn't fully recover from for hours. Child #2 recovers quickly and returns to her happy giggly self.
The above scenario has been replayed with slight variances several times over the last month and this mom is hoping that this too shall pass! Emily is generally very nurturing and seems to see herself as a mini mom for the baby sister she waited for for so long. Along with being sweet and motherly, she also thinks she can assume the role of disciplinarian and has tried to put her sister in time out on occasion. Fortunately Olivia is pretty forgiving--often more so than her parents.

I expected difficulties with both girls, so I'm trying to remind myself how fortunate we are to only have difficulties with one. We are very fortunate and I am still amazed by how well Olivia has adjusted! And, fortunately, the girls really do love each other...we've just joined the rest of the world with sibling issues, rivalry, and all the fun stuff that goes along with having a family! I guess we've got to take the good with the bad.