Alas, it was too good to last forever. Penny is starting to realize that Mommy being home isn't all it's cracked up to be. She's very proud of being a big sister, often bragging about Baby Paul at school or to random strangers while we're out. Most of the time she either ignores him or is pretty nice to him at home. Once in a while, I even get lucky enough to capture one of their funny moments playing together.
There are occasions, though, where she will not settle for second banana. She is constantly taking his baby toys, which I originally forbade and led to infinite strings of timeouts. More recently, I've decided to step back and just settle for ensuring he has SOMETHING to play with and she can do whatever with all the unused toys. Other times, it seems she invents things that require immediate attention as soon as Paul starts sobbing inconsolably. She'll start yelling so I can hear her over Paul, which (shockingly) doesn't help Paul or myself all that much. Then there's playing with Paul that turns a little rougher than I'd like. A cute moment can turn ugly so quickly! So far, no major injuries or trauma. He's always giving her huge smiles and seeking her out as he scooches across the floor.
I try my best to come up with Penny-only activities to help alleviate the tension. At present, trips to museums are still frequently requested and Paul doesn't have any say in what we do (other than the occasional requirement for diaper changes). Here Penny is showing off one of the exhibit components I helped to develop at the Museum. Kids get to compare how tall they are to a six year old tree and six year old bamboo that is mature enough to be made into floor boards (the floor here is made from bamboo). She's helping conceal her identity since I didn't get permission to use the photo for press. Another Penny-only activity is baking - she helped maintain the happiness of my staff with a constant stream of cakes and cookies while I was at the museum. This week, she helped mix and decorate a gingerbread house this week. It's kind of funny, though, because she only really enjoys eating icing and candy, not the cakes or cookies themselves. I suppose that's how she keeps so skinny.
Penny always seems to be on the go. A couple of weekends ago, it was non-stop partying to celebrate Mom's 70th birthday. All the family was together for the big day. It was our first time just leaving Penny to her own devices for a whole get-together. She had a blast with all her cousins. Who knows what those girls were up to in the basement for so many hours. I remember we used to have such fun at Saluke gatherings with all us kids up in the attic or back yard. Now they seem like such small spaces for all of us (17 when we all made it) to have been playing in simultaneously. But there were all kinds of things to do - lowering baskets for supplies, some joke about footprints on the ceiling, plotting our next great escapade to thwart or trick the grownups, honing our gaming skills. It would be hours before an adult came by to see what we were up to. It was great! I hope she's making similarly fun memories.
There are occasions, though, where she will not settle for second banana. She is constantly taking his baby toys, which I originally forbade and led to infinite strings of timeouts. More recently, I've decided to step back and just settle for ensuring he has SOMETHING to play with and she can do whatever with all the unused toys. Other times, it seems she invents things that require immediate attention as soon as Paul starts sobbing inconsolably. She'll start yelling so I can hear her over Paul, which (shockingly) doesn't help Paul or myself all that much. Then there's playing with Paul that turns a little rougher than I'd like. A cute moment can turn ugly so quickly! So far, no major injuries or trauma. He's always giving her huge smiles and seeking her out as he scooches across the floor.
I try my best to come up with Penny-only activities to help alleviate the tension. At present, trips to museums are still frequently requested and Paul doesn't have any say in what we do (other than the occasional requirement for diaper changes). Here Penny is showing off one of the exhibit components I helped to develop at the Museum. Kids get to compare how tall they are to a six year old tree and six year old bamboo that is mature enough to be made into floor boards (the floor here is made from bamboo). She's helping conceal her identity since I didn't get permission to use the photo for press. Another Penny-only activity is baking - she helped maintain the happiness of my staff with a constant stream of cakes and cookies while I was at the museum. This week, she helped mix and decorate a gingerbread house this week. It's kind of funny, though, because she only really enjoys eating icing and candy, not the cakes or cookies themselves. I suppose that's how she keeps so skinny.
Penny always seems to be on the go. A couple of weekends ago, it was non-stop partying to celebrate Mom's 70th birthday. All the family was together for the big day. It was our first time just leaving Penny to her own devices for a whole get-together. She had a blast with all her cousins. Who knows what those girls were up to in the basement for so many hours. I remember we used to have such fun at Saluke gatherings with all us kids up in the attic or back yard. Now they seem like such small spaces for all of us (17 when we all made it) to have been playing in simultaneously. But there were all kinds of things to do - lowering baskets for supplies, some joke about footprints on the ceiling, plotting our next great escapade to thwart or trick the grownups, honing our gaming skills. It would be hours before an adult came by to see what we were up to. It was great! I hope she's making similarly fun memories.
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