Introducing a New Sibling

We range in 2007 with the birth of our daughter, Jessica. Our son, William, who is now four, had been telling us since before I even took a pregnancy test that he was having a sister. He was triumphant when she actually “popped out my tummy” as he calls childbirth. At six months postpartum, we are beginning to settle into our expanded brood. It has been an overwhelming, exhausting, rewarding, magical experience. In many ways going from one to two young children in the home, was more of an adjustment for me than becoming a first time mom. The pregnancy was draining from the start. The first trimester found me exhausted and nauseous most days. A small blessing, William still took afternoon naps most days. Just having that little break was a miracle. By the third trimester I was swelling, huge, with joint pain and ready for the baby to be here. We did everything we could think of to prepare William and assure him that he would still be loved when the baby came. After Jessica’s birth I had to be hospitalized for some postpartum complications and then winter hit. One of the coldest and longest than anyone in Ohio could remember. Between being cooped up in the house and running back and forth between doctor follow up visits, the first three months passed in a sleep deprived blur.

The one saving grace was that William adored her from the beginning. He was so proud to be a big brother. He was almost four, ready to give up naps, and ready to start preschool. He seemed to be such a big kid to me now. He loved to help feed his sister, hold her, kiss and snuggle with her. He didn’t care if she spit up or drooled on him. He just loved her unconditionally from day one. We decided a few months after her birth that he needed a little more stimulation and put him in preschool a few hours a week. The first day we went to pick him up from school, he immediately rushed over and jumped in the baby’s carrier with her, patted her head lovingly and told her “when we get home I will tell you all about my day, so it will be like you were here too”. It was the most precious thing I had ever seen.

As Jessica grows older, she is all smiles and laughing. Truly, the most laid back baby I have ever experienced. She lights up whenever her brother enters the room. If she doesn’t get a nap (usually because we are at one of brother’s grand adventures) she remains in her sweet and cheerful disposition. Like her brother, she seems to be a budding extrovert, and loves being around crowds and people.

The most challenging aspect of going from one to two kids for me is meeting and balancing everyone’s needs. Jessica’s needs revolve around keeping her away from illness and giving her the opportunity to get naps. William’s needs revolve around big adventures of learning and exploring his world, spending lots of time with friends, and burning off his energy. Since preschool is out for the summer, we are mostly meeting William’s needs. Thankfully, Jessica seems to be adjusting to the busy life. Our days are spent with playgroups, trips to the park, and other grand adventures. We hope that when school resumes in the fall, Jessica will have more opportunity to be home and get her naps. Either way, both kids seem really happy and fulfilled.

Now that we are just adjusting and finding a routine, William has been telling us that he’d really like a brother. Yesterday he asked if we could make another baby get into my tummy so he could have a baby brother someday. I told him he’d have to wait and see. He assures me he would like lots of babies. Several times now he has came over to me and said “thank you for popping Jessica out of your tummy. I love her so.” The one thing we can honestly say, any baby would be lucky to have such a wonderful big brother.