No more sleeps 'til Santa!

Christmas is a time for peace on earth and goodwill to all men.

Not much can be done about the first part of that sentence but I'm pleased (and a little relieved) to see Sophia exuding goodwill towards her fellow man.  Or, more specifically, her brother.

It's about time.

Maybe that last statement's a little harsh; things haven't been that bad.  But, being the centre of our universe for the first two years of her life, I think Sophia found it strange when Dexter was born and, at times, has had difficulty adjusting to life with another little person around.

But lately, things seem to have changed.  Sophia's having much more fun with Dexter.

Where she used to find him irritating, she now finds him hilarious.  She has a lot more patience with him.  She would cheer him on when he first started trying to crawl and now loves following him around when he moves.  She has started showing him toys instead of snatching them away.  And, when I need to focus on Dexter in order to feed or change him, she no longer screams for my attention.

Don't get me wrong, they have had their tender moments.  Sophia has enjoyed the odd kiss and cuddle with him from the day he was born.  But recently, those special moments have been getting much more frequent.  I am very thankful for that and hope it continues far into the future.

Perhaps it's because she is seeing Dexter becoming more independent, which means she no longer has to 'fight' for my attention.  Perhaps it's because he's becoming more interesting, no longer just sleeping, screaming or eating.  Perhaps she has realised that Dexter is someone she can have fun with and play alongside.  Perhaps she has learnt that she gets more attention by being good and patient, rather than shouting and screaming.   Perhaps she's realised having a little brother isn't so bad after all.

Or perhaps it's a little of all those things.

Whatever the reason(s), I'm really pleased to see them together playing nicely, sometimes even holding hands.

I'm confident we'll have a truly wonderful Christmas Day tomorrow, all four of us together.

Of course I've got to get them into bed tonight first.  Dexter may not understand about Father Christmas but Sophia certainly does now.  And she's excited.  Very excited.

Are you all ready for Christmas Day?

Remember - you'd better watch out, better not cry, better not pout, Michael Buble's telling you why...

Merry Christmas everyone!