Siblings

So, what does Sam think of everything that's happened over the last few days? Hard to say, exactly, but all in all he is handling it really well! He was well cared-for and behaved while Mommy and Daddy were at the hospital, but has had a few more cranky moments since we got home. He seems to be coping with the change by clinging to Chris, and I think that will actually work out to be ok.

He LOVED coming to visit at the hospital. Betty brought him up on Wednesday night to meet her (I'm not entirely sure which of the two was more insistent that the trip happen that night!) and he did great. A few weeks ago he found a toy phone at Target and insisted that the baby would need it. So we wrapped it up and he brought it with him to give to her at the hospital. He wanted her to have it right away! He was pretty excited about the gift - a toy camera - that she brought for him, too. He was excited to see her, for sure, but was also very excited by everything there was to see and explore in the hospital room.

Daddy picked him up from school on Thursday and the boys came up to the hospital with flowers and a balloon. This time, in between running down the hall to get ice chips, a spoon with which to eat the ice chips, swinging on the toilet support bars in the bathroom, talking on the bed "phones," climbing in and out of the rocking chair and exploring the blood pressure cuff, he was even more interested in his baby. He asked to hold her without any encouragement. He supported her head, just like his Big Brother storybook told him to do. He was back and forth frequently between holding her and exploring, but he did keep coming back to her. And then he announced, "I love my baby sister!"

The next day he chose to come back to the hospital instead of going to the park with Gammi! It was a lot more of the same, but this time on the way to get ice chips he declared, "My baby sister is pretty."

He's done really well since she's been home, too. The day we came home he told me that he was going to share his beloved Woofster with her. He asks to hold her a lot, and is generally interested in everything that she's doing. He keeps finding stuffed animals that he brings to her to help her feel better, especially if she starts to cry.

I pray that all of this loving continues when our extra help goes home! For now I am just thankful that we are off to such a great start.