Sweet sounds…

My kids have mastered bickering. And tattling. And complaining about either not sharing. Some days it’s from the minute they wake up until they go to bed they are at each other’s throats. And those days have me wanting to pack up my stuff and hop on the first train to a little place called ANYWHERE ELSE.

But honestly, though I complain about it, I’m not actually giving them enough credit. Those terrible fighty days are easily outnumbered by the days that have them loving on each other. Jaia spends so much of her time mothering Wes and trying her best to make him laugh. And make him laugh she does. Deep, breath-stealing belly laughs. The best kind.

For the last six months or so, Wes has really begun to show his attachment to his sister even more so than before. If we are in the car and she’s not with us, he’ll throw his hands up and ask ‘Mama,where’s Jaia?’ with a sad look on his face. My absolute current favourite though is the simple ‘Hi Jaia’ and the wave that accompanies it any time either of them enter the room after being away for even a few minutes.

He just adores her. She can make him so mad one minute, but the next he’s her shadow again, copying her every move (which she says drives her batty – though I think she secretly likes it).

When I pictured having a second child, this is the kind of relationship I hoped for my kids. I hoped that above all they would like each other. Really like each other. That they would be kind to each other and that they would enjoy being with each other. It’s been all that and more. And it almost makes me forget the days that they are plotting each other’s demise.

Now that Wes is a little older and talking up a storm, he is able to interact more with Jaia. Instead of playing beside her as she plays, he can now join in the game. And their game of shared interest for the last few weeks has been….Scooby Doo. It is ridiculous and hilarious. Jaia always gets to be Daphne and Fred, while Wes is Shaggy and Velma. Scooby is MIA…but maybe that’s a good thing.