Who's that girl?

I feel like the blog has become so much more of a recorder of events and not necessarily the journal for my children that I intended 5+ years ago. I suppose it's just good that I'm still maintaining it at all. But there are times when I wish I was recording more of what it feels like to parent. What the girls are really like from this bird's eye view. Staying home with them, I really see it all, and I have to say I feel like I know them both so well. I suppose in another 10 years, I might not be able to say that. But right now, I'm deep in the trenches and there's so much reward for being able to make this my job day in and day out.  I get to enjoy the little moments like Carolina tearing through the apartment after we say goodbye to Elisa in the morning. It's been such a welcome change to deal with her one-on-one this fall, especially as the toddler tantrums and stubbornness have taken hold. There are days the whining and screeching don't stop for hours. It's like every 5 minutes, there's a new emergency and she must. have. her. way.  But when Carolina isn't playing second fiddle to big sister, she can really shine and it's easier to defuse the situations that inevitably arise when she wants what she can't have. A good tickle or playful romp on the bed will send her into the kind of gigglefest that makes the room brighter. "Again! Do it again!" she shouts. And she can get pretty emphatic. Carolina might be a more gentle soul, but she's no shrinking violet either. Being able to see her as her own little person and not just Elisa's sister, has been the best thing about our time together this fall. She's growing so fast and talking so much more these days. But still, she will forever be my little girl. And I'm hanging on to these lazy days at home together for the not-too-distant future when she's running after the school bus too. Oh, how fast it goes.