The BIG Brother
The nurse at the hospital warned me this would happen. When I got home on Friday, it suddenly seemed my son was a giant! When did his arms and legs get so long? When did his feet grow so big?! Those shoulders that I used to plant little kisses on have suddenly taken on gargantuan proportions. I know it's just a shift in perspective, since I have this tiny little girl that spends so much time in my arms now, that makes Aiden seem so huge, but I was totally unprepared for this. And take crazily-shifting hormones, add a sudden realization that your "baby" is no longer a baby, and BAM--a recipe for lots of tears!
Aiden has taken quite well to his big brother role. As you can see from the slide show I posted the other night, he has spent quite a bit of time doting on his little sis. On her first night home, he insisted on covering her up with his blankey and letting her "borrow" Teddy--a VERY big deal, considering that these are HIS loveys that he can't live without! At dinner, he kept getting up to run over to her bassinet and check on her. He reports her every squeak and movement, and I catch him gently rubbing his sister or patting her while she sleeps. He loves to sit and watch her nurse, and he's anxious for her to wake up more so he can show her all her toys--he's dying for her to sleep in her "pretty crib" and sit in her bouncy.
There have been a few moments of jealousy and he's definitely more aggressive about getting our attention--he's become quite the show-off these days and will not hesitate to provoke our attention in any way he can get it if he's feeling slighted. But I'm pleased he's done so well with all of these big changes.
In bed last night, after Brad had gotten quite stern with him for his millionth antic to delay bedtime, he burst into tears on us. I asked him what was wrong, and he 'fessed up that he was having a tough time with everything changing. We talked about everything that was different--he listed things like Aubrey and having 2 "childs" instead of one, and even little things like the weather being cold. Then we talked about all the things that were the same--how much his Daddy and I loved him, how he was the first kid born in our family, how he would always be older than his sister, how he was still my "stinky boy." By the end, he was laughing and smiling, but it was another "choked up" moment for Mommy as I saw how hard all the changes have been on him.
I know he'll adjust to the changes, I know we're enriching his life by giving him a sibling, and I'm so proud of how well he's done so far, but it is still so hard to see my "baby" grow into a big boy right before my eyes.
Aiden has taken quite well to his big brother role. As you can see from the slide show I posted the other night, he has spent quite a bit of time doting on his little sis. On her first night home, he insisted on covering her up with his blankey and letting her "borrow" Teddy--a VERY big deal, considering that these are HIS loveys that he can't live without! At dinner, he kept getting up to run over to her bassinet and check on her. He reports her every squeak and movement, and I catch him gently rubbing his sister or patting her while she sleeps. He loves to sit and watch her nurse, and he's anxious for her to wake up more so he can show her all her toys--he's dying for her to sleep in her "pretty crib" and sit in her bouncy.
There have been a few moments of jealousy and he's definitely more aggressive about getting our attention--he's become quite the show-off these days and will not hesitate to provoke our attention in any way he can get it if he's feeling slighted. But I'm pleased he's done so well with all of these big changes.
In bed last night, after Brad had gotten quite stern with him for his millionth antic to delay bedtime, he burst into tears on us. I asked him what was wrong, and he 'fessed up that he was having a tough time with everything changing. We talked about everything that was different--he listed things like Aubrey and having 2 "childs" instead of one, and even little things like the weather being cold. Then we talked about all the things that were the same--how much his Daddy and I loved him, how he was the first kid born in our family, how he would always be older than his sister, how he was still my "stinky boy." By the end, he was laughing and smiling, but it was another "choked up" moment for Mommy as I saw how hard all the changes have been on him.
I know he'll adjust to the changes, I know we're enriching his life by giving him a sibling, and I'm so proud of how well he's done so far, but it is still so hard to see my "baby" grow into a big boy right before my eyes.
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