Local cousins

are a blessing for our kids.  Naomi is only now starting to realize it.  Hannah has played with her local boy cousin happily for many years now, and they almost never have difficulties – any more.  There was a time when we couldn’t leave them in the same room without an adult because they would use the opportunity to whack, snatch, yell, and generally get each other all riled up.  This morning, though, as we walked through the Pike Place Market, they held hands and chatted about all the things they were seeing. 

Naomi and local girl cousin who is 3 months younger had a really rough time for a while – each girl would watch to see what the other one wanted and try to get it for herself (regardless of whether that little girl even wanted the item or ever paid any attention to it at any other time)…this was never a recipe for happiness.  There were other tricks that they pulled when together, but the main one was to try to keep each other from having fun. 

Lately, though, they have been playing together very, very well.  This certainly makes life much easier for all of us.  The other day, they were playing Husband and Wife.  Naomi was the Husband, and she spent a lot of time saying things like, “Come here, Wife.”  and, “Wife, that is so nice!” 

She also has started looking forward to their visits and weeping copiously when they leave.  Looking forward is a good thing…the copious weeping I could do without, but it’s a sign of a good thing, at least. 

This has even led to discussion of renaming St. Rose of Lima, Naomi’s favorite doll.  She and local girl cousin both got dolls exactly alike a couple of Christmases ago from Grandma Ellie.  St. Rose of Lima has had her name for a long time, and one doesn’t just call her “Rose,” or one risks correction from Naomi:  “Her name is St. Rose of Lima.”  Shortening this to “St. Rose” seems to be okay, but nothing shorter.

Local girl cousin’s doll’s name is Ellie.  Naomi came home from playing with Lgc the other day and said she was changing St. Rose’s name to Ellie.  Valuing the peace that has been forged between the cousins, I thought this might be a problem:  a doll that looks just like Lgc’s doll, called the same thing…Lgc could get the impression that Ellie, her doll, had somehow come to our house and needed to be brought back home.  I felt we might need a strategic intervention, so I mentioned the potential problem to Naomi.  Her decision is that St. Rose of Lima will keep her name, with the nickname of Ellie, but this nickname will not be used when Lgc is around. 

The intervention might have been unnecessary:  Naomi does not seem to remember that she gave St. Rose a new nickname.  But preservation of this newfound peace seemed like a good idea.