This morning, I had all the kids settled playing downstairs, and I ventured upstairs to get some breakfast. I felt a bit weary, as many of us do in the mornings. Nothing new. I decided it was close enough to lunch that I could justify having leftovers, and I warmed up some leftover perogies and gravy. Don’t judge.
By the time I got back downstairs, Rowan was starting to fuss a little bit on his play may. I deflated a little, knowing that time to eat my hot food was already almost over. I’ve never really had this stereotypical issue with having kids keeping me from eating hot food. At least, its never bothered me, really. But today, man, I wanted it! Maybe it was a bad parenting move, I don’t know, but I asked Dekker if he would mind sitting beside Rowan for a minute. Ro loves his siblings, and calms down quite a bit when they come join him. Dekker came over immediately, and sat beside Rowans mat, talking quietly. He never tells me what he’s saying, and if I get too close, he stops. But thats cool. I like that special thing they share.
I ate as fast as I dared, and Dekker stayed put beside Ro, though I could tell he was just about finished. I ran upstairs once I was done eating to go make a bottle, and when I came back down, Laela was sitting to the other side of Rowan. He was in his glory with a sibling on each side, and was no longer fussing even at all. I quietly sat down and waited until they all dispersed, and only then did I pluck Ro off the floor and feed him his milk.
There is this stigma attached to big families that suggests that the siblings raise each other. I almost hesitate to post this because I don’t want people to think thats how we parent. It isn’t! So instead, I’m posting it, hoping to show just how loving my babes are, and how that situation would have been different had I immediately rushed to Rowans side and fed him his milk until he fell asleep. I’m SO glad I asked Dekker to help calm him, because it was a proud moment for my mommy heart!
…And I got to eat perogies for breakfast, which was nice too…