So I'm behind in my posting schedule. For Tessa and definitely for Maggie. So we'll just put them together today and revel in their sisterhood. They love each other. Tessa is absolutely enchanted by Maggie; she looks to her already for cues on what to do and how to react. If Mags gets close in to Tess and interacts in some way, you can just watch Tess open up and sponge it in. She crawls to be closer to her, to follow her, to get her attention. Maggie has started to pick up on it and will say things like "Tessa wants to bounce up here on the couch like me, Mommy." Yes, she does.
Maggie is proud of her little sister. When Tess is at school and all the kids come over to talk to her or play with her or pet her, Maggie tells them (again) that it's her baby sister and then gives them tips on how to interact or lets them know boundaries. "You have to be really gentle. Only touch her toes. You know what she calls me? GiGi." Mags likes to help me change diapers and pick out Tessa's clothes and gives her a goodnight kiss on the lips every night (if she misses, she repeats until she hits her target).
But they also fight over toys already. Tessa, now mobile, will go over to Maggie's project and steal something. And Maggie snatches things back and gets nearly hysterical when Tessa comes for her toys. We talk a lot about trading and negotiation and patience. And Tess has learned from her vocal sister the art of the scream. Mags is still sometimes too rough and Tessa still likes to pull hair. But usually we just hug it out and so far everyone definitely still loves each other.
35
36
37
38
