I wanted Tory to come to the hospital, but I was a little apprehensive how she'd react given her age and the presence of the new baby. Would she be jealous? Scared? Upset leaving us behind at the hospital when it was time to go home? Andi and I prepped Tory as best as we could beforehand, letting her know we were going to the hospital to bring Baby Aden home. She seemed to understand what was happening and has been very interested in all things "doctor" lately, but you never really know with a two-year-old.
I'd heard somewhere it's best if the new baby isn't in mama's arms upon meeting the older sibling for the first time, so Andi was holding Baby Aden when Tory arrived. She walked in looking adorable in her new Big Sister shirt and pigtails, carrying her baby doll and Minnie Mouse into the room. Upon arrival, Tory immediately walked over to Andi, held out her arms and said, "Tory hold Baby Aden?" She recognized Baby Aden immediately and was so excited to meet her little brother.
We let Tory hold Aden for the first time. It felt so surreal to see my two babies together. Tory did a great job and held him gently before moving onto more interesting things ... her Big Sister present.
Tory loved the baby boy doll Aden gave her and was especially excited about the diaper bag with pretend baby wipes inside. She spent the remainder of her visit tucking the baby doll into the hospital bed blankets and changing its pretend diaper.
Now we're at home, Tory's adjusting well to sharing her life with a sibling. Truthfully, she's more interested in her new "big sister" presents, like the Doc McStuffins doctor kit Grandma Janie and Grandpa Jim bought her, or the countless Minnie Mouse toys and activities she's received.
I wondered how Tory would respond to seeing me nursing Aden. The first day I was home, she kept peeking her head underneath my nursing cover and said, "Baby Aden eating Mommy boobie?" I had to laugh because I'm not even sure where she heard the word "boobie." Definitely not from me. She hasn't inquired about Aden nursing since.
We've had some potty training regression in the last few days. I think most of it had to do with all the excitement around our house; namely my parents staying with us and visitors coming and going. It's just different than our normal routine. Since Andi went back to work yesterday and things are slowly turning back to normal, she seems to be on the right track again. M&M's help, of course.
Andi's been a big help with Tory since Aden's birth. He's taken over Tory's bedtime routine for now with little resistance from Tory. Surprisingly, now that Andi (or a grandparent) has been putting Tory to bed at night, she's miraculously started sleeping through the night ... or very close to it. Little stinker was playing Mommy big-time and was probably capable of it all along. Aden's cries at night don't even seem to bother her.
My favorite part of seeing Tory with Aden is her commentary toward him. She repeats phrases I say like, "[It's] alright, Baby Aden, [it's] alright" when she pats him on the back, or tells him "almost done" when he's getting his diaper changed. There's a step stool permanently perched at the changing table because Tory insists on holding Aden's hand while he's laying there. During breakfast yesterday, Tory noticed the baby swing had stopped swinging so she got down from her seat at the table and walked over to gently give him a nudge. Alright, she actually laid on him in the swing ... but she's trying to be helpful. I'm anxious to see the relationship between sister and brother develop in the upcoming weeks, months and years. For better or for worse, now they've always got each other.
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