the big sister.

Our sweet Carly.

She is so beautiful, inside and out.

Carly continues to adjust to having two babies in her house. Initially she had very little interest in them, primarily because she had one grandma or the other around to play with her. It has been interesting to watch her since it has just been us.

Carly has grown weary of the crying. At first it didn't seem to bother her, but now as soon as one starts whimpering she'll say "No . . . No . . . No . . . No!" Almost panicking. I think she can feel my tension when they are both crying, so I try very hard to stay calm and explain to her that they just need [fill in the blank]. A few times she has started screaming when she wants something, probably figuring I respond so quickly to the babies when they use the same tactic. I nipped that one in the bud, telling her they are babies and she is a big girl who knows how to talk, so she needs to talk and not scream. But Q and J's different styles make a difference for her too. When Q starts doing her hungry humming or crying a little, Carly will say "Mom, I think Quinn needs her milk." But when J starts screaming, Carly will scream "Mom, come get John!"

I do see her love for them. I often walk by Quinn and find toys in the bouncer or swing with her that Carly has brought her. Once I lifted her carseat cover and found a little teddy bear in the seat with her. That made me laugh so hard, but also warmed my heart. Carly doesn't lend her stuffed animals out to just anyone. She will also try to share toys with them. She's been carrying around these fake flowers and she asks "Does John want some flowers?" And will put them on his tummy or try to get him to hold them. I think she is a little confused why they don't interact very much, but I tell her soon they will be able to run and play with her. I am excited for when that time comes, because I think Carly will have so much fun with them when they can play with her.

The other day, the most telling event in Carly's big sisterhood occurred. I was changing Q on the floor, and Carly fell off the couch right on to her head. Q screamed a "Ouch that hurt!" scream that I had never heard before. I picked her up and calmed her down. Carly asked what was wrong. I told her that even though it was an accident, she fell and hit Quinn on the head. Carly started crying so hard. She was beside herself. I had to put Q down just to comfort her. Carly felt so bad about hurting Q. She was far more upset about it than Q was. Q was laying on the floor calm and I pointed and said, "Look, she is all better. Its ok." And Carly calmed down. Although it made for a very chaotic situation, it was sweet to see Carly's reaction.

Carly often calls the babies "my babies". They have rocked her world, but I know she loves them. She is just getting used to them and all the craziness they have brought to her life, just like the rest of us.