Well, peace between the baby and the cats perhaps.

You should see the 9 1/2 and the 7 1/2 year old go at each other ;-)  I
remember fighting with my siblings when I was little - its a different
thing entirely watching the kids do it.  I am always shocked at how mean
they can be to one another, though I know we did the same thing.

The difference is that now, as parents, we can't just kick the kids out
into the street for hours at a time with their friends as we recover.
We're in close quarters all the time partly because there aren't as many
children around in our older neighbourhood and mainly because of
concerns around not monitoring your children.  It's a vicious circle -
fewer children out and about, lower safety in numbers, so fewer children
out and about.

My mom admits (in between bouts of saying that I would find this whole
thing easier if I were just more organized) that it was easier having
kids when we grew up in California.  It was easy to go outside and play
all year long.  When its -30, nobody likes to take the time to struggle
into all their warm clothes only to get cold a half hour later.

But it is nice all the same - all three are such different people and
its amazing to watch them grow so quickly, all according to plan.  The
eldest is a spitfire (like Otis), the middle is a sweet sensitive old
soul with an encyclopedic knowledge all of all things scientific and
natural (like Chester) and the youngest is a mix of the two (a
Tonkinese?).  They sure test my skills of observation and psychology!

Susan M
Otis and Chester