Growing pains

We went to Maureen's Aunt Kathy's birthday party yesterday, and there were quite a few kids there, closer to her kids' ages. Maureen is at a point where she wants to play with other kids, but still needs adult supervision most of the time and can't run as free like the older ones. A and G are great with Mo, but she just can't compete when there's running and throwing and fashion shows and giggling about tooties involved. So poor Mo is stuck with Mom or Dad looming over her. We may be a bit overprotective and could possibly give her a little more rope, but, until she can easily master stairs (a StairMaster?) and become sure-footed, we're not likely to leave her side.
Maureen certainly LOVES* her cousins A and G, talks about them constantly, and longs for any face time possible with them. She gets giddy at the mention of them. We are happy that she will be seeing her cousins often over the summer and hope that they will be very close throughout their lives. I realize though, that A and G are growing as fast as Mo is, and there will always be an age gap. But fear not because Baby Doodoo** is on the way. I hope that Mo is as loving and nurturing for Dood as A is for G.

*Mo also loves her cousin Claire, who is closer in age to her. We look forward to seeing the two of them become close friends as they grow together. And even though cousin APD lives miles away, he is a special entry in her nightly "Godbless-ings".
**DooDoo is Maureen's name for the new baby. I probably should not start with the nicknames (especially nicknames that relate to fecal matter) until he is officially with us.