Sisterhood

During my pregnancy I worried how Noelle would react to her new baby brother. We tried to prepare her throughout the 9 months as much as possible by talking to him in my belly, including her when we purchased things for him, decorating his room, saying "When Noah gets here (fill in the blank)," etc.

The first week flew by and Noelle did great. She wasn't very interested in him - probably because he slept 20 hours a day. Aaron was home that week and we had visitors every day who brought her gifts and gave her tons of attention. My mom and dad were also at our house every day helping with Noah and playing with Noelle.

This past week was a bit more challenging but overall pretty great. She threw a few fits when I was nursing him because I couldn't follow her to where she wanted to go and she cried at bed time twice when we denied her request to sleep in our bed (which she never does anyway). I've made a point to devote one of Noah's 2-hour naps to playing with her and teaching her, which is a huge adjustment since all of my day was devoted to her before his arrival. I've also showed her where all of his diapers, wipes, clothes, and bibs are so she can be "Mommy's Big Helper."

A few of my favorite Big Sister moments are: In the morning she covers Noah with her very special blanket to keep him "nice and warm," she often gently touches his head and says "ahhh," and she loves helping mommy give him a bath.

She also enjoys holding him...

Aaron, of course, is over the moon.

And I am so in love.