Let me start this post by saying that I am tired of referring to my girls as “my oldest,” “my four year old,” “the twins,” and so forth. I also don’t want to post their names. Call me paranoid, but I just don’t want to post their names on this public forum. I know my regular readers wouldn’t mess with them, but you just never know what some unsavory spammer might do.

Anyway, I thought I’d share my nicknames for them, and from here on out, that’s what we’ll call them. My oldest is Lil Bit. I know she started out way bigger than the twins did, but since she was the first and we didn’t know we would have super tiny babies next, well, that’s the nickname we gave her as a baby. Now, well, we just say she’s a lil bit of something else, or a lil bit of drama. You get the drift. Now, my twins are a little tougher, since they are identical. If you know my family, I’ll identify them so you know who is who: the older twin is Sweet Pea and the younger twin is Princess Pea. They are “peas” because they are as alike as two peas in a pod—nice pun, eh? Sweet Pea is my sweet snuggler. Princess Pea is still sweet, but a little more demanding—like a princess! So there are the names that the little ones will go by from now on!

Ok, so with that settled, time for a little Friday Fun:

We are in that interesting transition between baby and toddler. The twins are learning so much so quickly. They are learning how to walk, learning how to talk, and learning how to become independent (to a certain extent). Unfortunately, they are not *quite* successful at any of those things yet. It’s completely normal for this stage in the game. Of course, I know that, you know that—but they don’t know that. This past week, the frustration came out in a dramatic fashion.

I know, I know, you’re shocked. Drama? In a house full of girls? Who would have thought!

Both girls were playing in our bonus room. I was down on the floor with them, but they had moved across the room, both going toward a stroller that is made to be sturdy enough to help almost-walkers walk confidently. This is the one we have.

Sweet Pea made it to the stroller first. A split second later, Princess Pea made it there. After a few seconds of trying to pull the stroller away from her sister, Princess Pea did the one thing she could think of—she bit her sister. A look of horror, betrayal, and pain entered Sweet Pea’s eyes. I scooped her up, comforted her for a second and handed her to her daddy—no blood, but a nasty mark that lasted 18 or so hours! Then I reprimanded Princess Pea while the incident was fresh. No fears—it was a verbal reprimand, but very strong. I wanted to scare her a little and hopefully keep either of them from a repeat performance! Both girls were very upset—I am not sure who was upset more, the biter who got reprimanded or the wounded one!

So why is this Friday Fun? I got to thinking about their little interaction after the tears had dried and they went back to playing with one another. How blessed are my kids that they are surprised when someone hurts them! How many children in the world expect to be hurt when they wake up in the morning? More than we care to admit in our American middle class comfort, I think. So sad, but it’s true. Also, how blessed are the twins to have a built-in peer to play with. Of course, that makes the betrayal  of this little incident that much worse, but still—I can already tell that they share more and interact more with each other than is normal  for their age. And how blessed am I to be confident that my children have their basic needs met—and then some!—so that the biggest worry in their lives right now is who gets to the stroller first!

To make it through pain, we have to look at the blessings it reveals.

Sometimes I link up at the following places: 413 Sparrow Lane, 504 Main, A Little Tipsy, Crafty Scrappy Happy, Eat at Home, Finding Fabulous, House of Hepworths, How to Nest for Less, MomTrends, Not Just a Housewife, Organizing Junkie, Positively Splendid, Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, Six Sisters Stuff, Sugarbee Crafts, Tidy Mom, The Finer Things and I Dream of Clean’s Spring Cleaning Challenge,  The King's Court IV, and The Finer Things in Life.