Mommy School

Since the birth of sweet Emme-O, Lia has spent more and more time mothering her babies (Yes I said babies, plural! She has Izzy, the twins, whose names change daily, and a soft plush doll). She never had a real interest in dolls until her sister arrived and now her babies, especially the twins accompany us on more and more trips out. In fact, last week you could have spotted me at Target carrying Emme in her carseat, Lia on a hip and "the %$&#*@ twins" in my empty hand through the crowded parking lot. Lia is so sweet to her babies, saying things like "My baby is crying" and patting her back or "We can't leave the twins at home." She reads to them, pushes them around in the stroller and sleeps with them. All of them, lest one feel left out. Every now and again, a random animal is thrown in the mix and is lucky enough to get a little attention, too!

I am sure this is all her way of making sense of her new reality and practicing what she sees her mommy do. Most of the time, I am glad she is watching, learning how to be emphathetic to another, how to love someone more than words can express and how to juggle the needs of 4 babies and a giraffe all at once. It is that one percent of the time when you lose your cool, raise your voice or get frustrated that you wish you could say "Wait, stop, that isn't part of Mommy 101!" Hopefully, she picks up the good and forgives the bad. I guess I need to make sure I am modeling forgiveness, too!

Here are Lia and her babies: