Equal Time

When you have two (or more) children, you have to come up with a way to give them "equal time."

At our home, it hasn't really been that important until now.

I have blogged about how Ann Catherine accepted Lily when we brought her home from the hospital. She was only 18-months-old when Lily was born, and of our her doctors told us she wasn't old enough to have the jealousy instinct. So from the day we brought Lily home, Ann Catherine accepted it and was fine with it. We never had any of those, "Mommy, when is she going back?" moments that I hear other mothers talk about.

I often say, I think it's more than that. I truly believe that Ann Catherine needed a sibling so badly. She knew someone was missing and Lily filled that void for her.

Ann Catherine has never cried because I was holding Lily. Never. And I know, from talking to other moms, how lucky I am. Ann Catherine shares with Lily and plays with her. In fact, if Lily takes something that Ann Catherine was playing with it, Ann Catherine doesn't get mad. Instead, she goes and gets Lily another toy and gives it to her. I truly couldn't ask for anything better.

But lately, I've noticed that Ann Catherine seems to need more attention. For instance, if I'm holding Lily, she'll ask Chris to hold her as well (or vice versa if Chris is holding Lily). Today Lily was in the floor crawling to me, and when I started clapping, Ann Catherine started crawling towards me too.

So this weekend, I went out of my way to give her some one on one time. Saturday morning I took her to get her hair cut for the very first time! We had such a great time. On the way there, I told her we were having mommy/daughter time and she answered, "just mommy and Ann Catherine." She was so cute at the hair salon. She sat there and was so still and so good and let Carmen cut her hair. It was so precious! I said, "Ann Catherine, look at you. You have bangs!" And she said, "Just like mommy."

It's such a reminder of how little girls feel about their mommy. They want to be just like us and they can't get enough of us. That's one of the things I love about having girls. I just love the relationship that mothers and daughters have.

And when you have two, it's all about finding balance. For instance, Ann Catherine and I played in the playroom today and did puzzles and read books while Lily slept. Then, while Ann Catherine took her nap, I took Lily shopping with me and we spent our own time together.

I'm trying so hard to give them both "enough of mommy." It's a challenge, but that one on one time is so worth it! And we also mix in plenty of family time. Over the long weekend, we did so many fun things. Last night, we took the kids to Brusters for ice cream. This afternoon, we took them to McDonalds for lunch (a true treat for little ones!) I so enjoyed the time the four of us spent together this weekend!

By the way, I was going to try and post a picture of Ann Catherine with her new haircut, but she's two-years-old and I can't get her to stand still for two seconds for a picture :) I'll keep trying!