Turn of the Paige

Most parents worry over how their oldest child will receive a new baby.  Just as we did.  Kayla had been interested with babies anyway, she played with a baby doll we got her for her birthday really well.  She loved feeding her baby, putting her to sleep, and flinging her around.  Ok, so it didn’t give us a ton of confidence, but it’s not like it was a real baby.  She probably couldn’t even lift a real baby like that…

We talked to her about how she was going to be a big sister, and tried to get her to feel my belly so she would know her baby brother was in there.  She didn’t seem to care that eventually there would be a small baby in the house, or she just didn’t quite understand.  She did pat my tummy and say hello, but mainly only when my big belly got in the way.  Either way, things continued on normally.

Cue the baby.

Right after Wyatt was born, there were a lot of new places to explore in the hospital, and while Kayla did seem to want to see her brother, she had lots of other family around to play with.  In other words, she was excited when she got to see him, but if it wasn’t a good time, she was off running amuck.  She thought it was fun to try to kiss him after the hospital photographer asked her to, and given a chance she would try to sneak a kiss.

Another kiss?

It wasn’t until we got home and things settled down some that we saw more interest.  I’d leave Wyatt in the bassinet, turn around for a moment and when I came back, Kayla would be on her tippy toes singing to her brother so he would stop crying.  I’d also find her trying to stick a pacifier or the wrong side of a medicine dropper in his mouth.  Truthfully, she didn’t have much contact with him because I was worried about him catching something from her sticky little hands. Now that’s he’s more resilient and I’m less worried about him getting sick, she’s all over him when given a chance.

In fact, she’s even tried to pick him up once.  When he was a couple of months old, I left him on the couch to go to the restroom.  I hurried back because of crying from both children.  One from being dropped off the couch, and the other because her brother was “heavy”.  She had been trying to pick him up, but ended up only dragging him off the couch.

She loves to hug him, kiss him, play with him, and if he could walk they’d be off playing.  When I have him playing on his activity mat on the floor she’ll come over and try to play with him.  She pushes her head in to his space until he eventually has his mouth on he or he grabs her, which receives a “Brother kiss me.  Awww, cute” or “Brother hug KayKay.  Sweet brother.” When I’m busy and can’t hold him immediately, I’ll send Kayla over to cheer him up.  It never lasts long though.

“Hi Brother”

Like all babies, Wyatt isn’t especially fond of being smothered.  He’s quite fond of breathing.  Kayla, while being exceptionally sweet, ends up smothering him.  She doesn’t understand he can’t see her when she’s right in his face. She likes to hold him, but she holds him under his neck, thus almost choking him.  She also grabs his hands to make him “flap” or do things that look like the Macarena, all of these things lead to him crying. (I’d cry too if someone made me do the Macarena, that wasn’t even cool when it came out in the 90′s)  He’s also at a very grabby age, and typically her hair is the only thing he can get a hold of.  This leads to Kayla crying — and is apparently Wyatt’s form of payback.

Already rough housing…

When I’ve held Wyatt on the floor so that he’s “standing”, she’s come and taken his hand and tried to walk off with him!  I had to explain he couldn’t walk, and then she decided she wanted to jump with him.  (I end up making him “jump”) They do this together every so often now because they both end up laughing a ton and it’s just too cute.

It’s fun to see them interact, at least for the first few seconds before someone starts crying.  It typically ends with me prying one of them off the other, so I can already tell their relationship is going to be entertaining.  When they get older I guess I’ll just sit back and watch the slapstick.

Get her off!