Brotherly love
I came out of the bathroom this morning and caught sight of Xavier chasing after his sister to hug her. He gave her a half-hug through my advice to let her go because she didn’t seem to want a hug. Then, as she was toddling away, he told me “Je l’aime ma tite soeur, ma cocotte.” — which translates to “I love her, my lil’ sister, my sweetie.” (a ‘cocotte‘ is really a cone, like a pine cone, but we use it as an affectionate name for Orly).
My mommy heart melted in a slushy puddle right away. I love them, my little kids, my sweeties.
PS. Xavier, I’m totally archiving this for your teenage years, in the event of sibling conflicts.
PPS. Moksha, I’m not sure if you got my email, but congratulations on your upcoming second! Siblings are so sweet.
Superfoot
Escale sur une plage / Little stop by a beach
Bing! Ça y est. / Bing! He got it.
Orléane is now... 
Xavier is now...
Ah, siblings. Simultaneously the source of more joy and frustration than any single spawn could possibly produce! (They are grand, though, eh?)
We’ve been lucky so far: except for the occasional dual desire for the same item, they truly are getting along lovingly and making each other laugh.
I wonder how the dynamic would change with a third sibling into the mix (in fact, I’m not wondering all that much, as I grew up with a brother and a sister), but I think we’re almost set on keeping our number to two, now. Still, there’s that tiny doubt…
I did not get your email, but thank you for the well-wishing. We’re quite excited to get to the kind of sweetness you are descibing. Norah is fond of hugging and fond of babies…we’re hoping these feelings stick around when the baby in question doesn’t go home but instead lays seige to Norah’s carefully cultivated position as the center of attention. Xavier gives me hope.
I’ve heard older sisters tend to be more motherly to newborn siblings, which is a good and a bad thing: it’s sweet and lovable how they want to give so much attention to the young one, and a pinch stressful when they insist on taking care of him/her. But things will work out, and she’ll learn how to be gentle.
When Orly came, we didn’t make a fuss about how Xavier would react – we just let him see how much we loved her, and kept on giving him lots of love. I tend to think kids follow their parents’ lead, so I don’t make a fuss about stuff I don’t want them to make a fuss about (bruises and scratches, rivalry, etc.).
What I find the trickiest so far is being the judge of sibling skirmishes: once in a while, they’ll want the same toy, and I have to decide between a lesson in sharing, or a lesson in not-taking-someone-else’s-stuff-unless-they’re-ok-with-it. I just go with my gut, then, and I know I won’t always get it right, but I figure you win some and loose some – that’s just life.