On Becoming a Big Sister

I posted recently about Teagan reverting and playing with all of the baby stuff that's starting to emerge around the house. Lately, however, it seems she's embraced the fact that she will soon become a big sister and (for the most part) has come to accept the fact that the baby will be a boy. Grandma sent us a box of darling baby boy clothes (thanks again, Grandma!) and Teagan was more than excited as she perused our spoils.

 

She certainly is excited about my belly and comments on it every day. (None of it is very complimentary, but she's a kid and tells it like it is.) She's very aware of the fact that I have a baby in my tummy...it doesn't seem to stop her from elbowing me multiple times a day or jumping on me, but she likes to feel him kick is always patting and rubbing my belly. After she says "Whoa, Mummy's belly big!" of course.

She's been playing more with her baby doll and taking very good care of her. She loves to strap her into the booster seat, fetches a bib and a spoon and tenderly feeds her lunch. It's all very sweet.

 

She's agreed to help me change baby's diapers, but she is concerned that "they be stinky in my nose." A legitimate concern, to be sure. We'll have to brave it together. She's been practicing on her baby doll with one of her old size 1's. I have one in the drawer with her 6's and it's almost obscene to see them next to each other. It seems nearly impossible that she fit into them at one point. Tiff told me that nothing prepares you for the first time you change your older child's diaper after your newborn's. You might as well be changing an adult.

We'll be sure to handle our actual baby with more care and minimize headstands during diaper changes.

I had a really sweet experience a few weeks ago, watching her with Baby Belle. All day, she told me that Baby Belle was crying and we would work together to try to figure out why. First, we'd try feeding her. I was in awe of how gently and tenderly she handled her.

When she was finished eating, Teagan told me she was still crying, so I showed her how to burp the baby and she did it perfectly, all the while whispering "I know, I know."

The baby was still crying after a good burp, so we decided that she must be tired and needed a nap. So Teagan found her a blanket and wrapped her up, then cuddled her and told her over and over that "it's okay, it's okay."

I wish I could have frozen this moment in time. Instead, I've done my best to record what it seemed like. My best isn't near good enough, but I hope I can remember how sweet and tender she was, doing her best to figure out what was wrong with her baby and trying to fix it. I hope she remembers when it's game time and we're dealing with our baby boy.