The one thing we were worried about while Ned was on the way was how the other two would react. The boy and Fifi are 21 months apart; that’s a fairly normal age difference, but Ned-to-be would be almost five years younger than the boy when he came along. In the end we needn’t have worried; the boy is everything you could hope for in a big brother, and Fifi plays pretty well with Ned most of the time (even if she is a bit cack handed with him occasionally). Yes, Fifi does get a bit jealous of the attention we give him at times, and there is often a bit of a scrum for cuddles first but overall we’re really pleased how they’re a little gang together. Fifi and the boy often help Ned get snacks, come and tell us when his nappy needs changing and generally help him out when we’re steeling ourselves for the day first thing in the morning.
Now that Ned is almost two, he’s into everything- I caught him balanced on the back of the sofa yesterday, ready to jump on to the cushions (and then presumably bounce off onto the floor?) so we have to be careful with “over exuberant” play. Most of the time it works brilliantly, as you can see in the picture above, and when it doesn’t the tears are usually short lived.