Double-Teamed

"A, C is not a doll."


"A, please stop trying to pick up your brother."


"Pumpkin, babies don't eat cookies."


"You can hold him when Mommy finishes feeding him. But we only hold C when Mommy is sitting beside you."


"A, please don't attack your Aunt C....Aunt A.....stranger who is admiring the baby."


A loves her new brother. Loves to smother him with kisses, cuddles, hugs, as much love as she can shower on him in one day. Just ask Aunt C who was literally sacked when A decided to run at her full force in perfect takcle formation shouting, "That's my baby brudder; put him down!" In fact, anyone who touches C besides Mom or Dad gets the same warning, "My brudder." I think she's afraid someone is going to take this little treasure away from my possessive darling. It's quite the opposite reaction from what I was expecting. I spent my entire pregnancy concerned, obsessed really, that A would feel left-out, overwhelmed, unhappy about having a new sibling. How would I ever help her adjust? She's adjusted just fine; it's mom who is having a hard time figuring out how to attend to the needs of two very different demanders, while meeting her own basic needs.


I've learned that I can never turn my back on my sweet daughter, literally, never. I tried once, just once so far, sprinted to the restroom for a quick 30 seconds, while C was down for a nap and A was in her room, absorbed in a book, at least I thought she was. With the door open and my ears tuned in to the slightest noise, I quickly washed my hands and dashed into C 's room to find that my almost-three-year-old daughter had scaled the outside of the crib and was in bed with her napping brother. I still can't figure out how she managed, first of all, to climb the crib, and second, how to do it that quickly. She was sitting there shouting, "Wake up, C. Wake up." Couldn't she do that from outside the crib?


"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!!!!" Yelling will wake up the baby I remind myself. "A!" I whispered as forcefully and loudly as you can whisper, while whisking her up out of the crib. "Do not ever do that again. You can break the crib; you can break your brother; you can break a leg." Flustered, I just continue to say, "no, no, no" over and over. I can't even dash to the restroom. Where I managed A with two hands, I now need at least 8. And an extra set of eyes wouldn't hurt either. People warned that one is so easy; two is so hard. Sure, I thought. How can it be that difficult? Mmmmm.....laugh it up, all you who warned me....I get it now. I'm thrilled that A loves her brother so much, but until my little man is able to at least sit up on his own or probably, more realistically, run, there will be no rest for the weary. Who needs to shower, go to the restroom, eat lunch...





While I may sound....overwhelmed....I'm loving it. Everyone also told me that you will think about how much you love your firstborn and wonder if there is ever a way you can open your heart to feel that much love for another child...and you do. I fell in love with C as instantly as I did A . God just gives parents an infinite capacity to love their children, and next to being married to my amazing husband....motherhood is the most wonderful earthly treasure I've ever experienced, and now it is just twice as wonderful!