This is probably one of the most asked questions I’ve been getting since we brought Waverly home, and I really love that 🙂 Just some solid concrete evidence that people haven’t forgotten the rest of our sweeties in the shuffle of adding a new sweetie. Thanks, guys, for loving ALL of our kids!!
So, their reactions to her and their feelings about her, in no particular order. So far, anyway! Let’s keep in mind she’s 3.5 days old…
I should tell you guys about Laela first. People have been the most amped about her gaining a sister. While she was less concerned about gender than anyone else, she was totally thrilled about “getting” a baby! She was the first to hold Wavy upon bringing her home.
When we told her the baby’s name, and asked if she liked it, her response was “Kinda…” I saved it, though, in telling her Wavy’s middle name was Violet. THAT sold her. Though she still calls her Bambina often enough. Habits are hard to break 😉 Laela often says she “likes the look of her,” and when I confirm that she thinks Wavy is pretty, she nods and says “Yup. And her head! Smells so good!” She’s been listening, haha!
Dekker has been heavily anticipating her, knowing full well what was to come and understanding what it meant to add another kid to our family. He was a bit ripped that Laela got to hold her first, and snagged his turn shortly thereafter. This is the FIRST time EVER that Dekker has asked to hold the new baby. He’s always been fairly hands off when it comes to new family members, never being mean to them, but being at least uninterested or nervous. But he LOVES Wavy.
He is her protector. If she makes the slightest noise, he heads on over to her to check on the situation. He loves to kiss her fingers and touch her hair. But that shouldn’t really surprise anyone who knows him. He is SUCH a sensitive soul. When she first arrived home, he couldn’t pronounce her name very well. He skipped the R completely. Wavely. Like, Navel-y. I told him that daddy and I usually call her Wavy, and he jumped ALL over that! He’s figured out the pronunciation of her full name now, but we all opt for the short form most of the time anyway. So far, Dekker has held firm on his decision to give her a billion kisses. Its a great relationship.
Rowan is easily the most neutral on the subject of his new sister. He loves her name, and insists he’s always called her Wavy. Its all lies, for the record, haha! While he likes her and isn’t at all scared of her, he’s pretty uninterested thus far. I’m not especially surprised, because she’s obviously not doing much of anything at this point, but I’m thankful he’s not put off by her.
For instance, these pictures didn’t happen naturally. I asked him to go over to her and give her a kiss. He was happy to oblige, but he was soon off in the other direction, doing something else. No jealousy or anger to speak of. He’s just doing other things. When I asked him his favorite thing about her, he says he really likes her stuffie. Lol!
I thought Solly would be the most put off by her presence, to be honest, being that he’s been the youngest for quite a while now, and he tends to wear his opinions on his sleeve. But he LOVES Wavy!!!!
He often hangs out by her rocker, if she’s in it. He’s never come close to toppling it over or anything either. He’ll sit on the window sill sometimes and just watch over her. If I ever say “baby,” he thumps on over to her and announces “Beeebee Weewee!!” Like he LOVES her!!! When he met her for the very first time, he was SO excited! He kept trying to smack her, which we quickly talked him through, and he traded his smacks for gentle rubs. But then he’d rub her whole face, or poke his finger into her mouth. Basic toddler-meets-baby stuff. He took a little dolly hairbrush to her beautiful hair, and dug in pretty good for a second there, but she tolerated it and didn’t even fuss.
Come to think of it, I don’t think any of them have made her cry yet. But like I said earlier on, she’s only a few days in 😉