By Oh the life of parenting two beautiful girls as they eagerly awaited the birth of their new baby sister!
Michaela, 5 years old at the time, was very excited to hear that we were going to have a baby. She told everyone she talked to the exciting news. At that time she was attending the school where I teach. Before I knew it all of my co-workers were congratulating me on the news that I hadn't even told them! Luckily I got to my principal before Michaela did!
Carrie, 3 years old at the time, was excited too. Since I wasn't showing any physical signs of having a baby in my tummy at that time, she quickly lost interest. The whole idea that there is a tiny human being growing inside Mommy's tummy is a hard concept to grasp when you're only three!
When it came time to find out the sex of the baby I asked the girls if they wanted a brother or sister. As if their preferences had any impact on the results of the ultrasound! Michaela initially said she wanted a brother because she already had a baby sister. Michaela soon changed her mind and said, "I don't want a stinky boy in our house. I want to have another sister!" Carrie always wanted a baby sister because she never had one. Both girls were elated when they found out their dreams of having a baby sister were going to come true.
Even though Carrie always participated in the baby conversations, it wasn't until she could see me getting bigger and then feel the baby kicking that she really started to become interested in our new addition. Carrie was always the one that would lay her head on my tummy as the baby was moving about. She would get a little thump on her head and then look up at me with her big eyes and say, "Hey Baby! What'cha doing in there?!"
I remember asking the girls once if they were going to help Mom and Dad with their new sister. Michaela quickly jumped in and said she was NOT going to change any stinky diapers. She was going to teach the baby to read and play with her. Carrie also said she was NOT going to change any diapers but she did say she would show her how to use the potty. We'll see if she still has an interest in that in a couple of years!
One hot summer day in July (after a few false alarms) Lily finally made her grand entrance into our world. From the very first moment the girls saw Lily at the hospital they changed. They seemed to have matured a little and have taken on the roles of "Little Moms" when I am out of the room for a moment. They both love Lily to pieces and are often the first to respond to her cries (mostly because I know when Lily really needs something). Quick to offer comforting words, stuffed animals, pacifiers and bottles, they are helping us live as one happy family with three beautiful girls.
What a great story! And another aspect of it was that Grandma and Grandpa got to see much of what you did! The girls are wonderful with Lily. You couldn't ask for more loving big sisters.