Sisterly Love

Many of you have been kind enough to ask how Helen is taking the transition from "only child" to "shackled to a life with a sibling."  As an older sister myself, whose younger sister arrived on Christmas Day when I was 2 (and ruined most every day the next 16 years after that by making THAT NOISE WITH HER TONGUE), I can sympathize.  Let's just say that a few years from now, I wouldn't be surprised to find Alice on eBay, courtesy of seller "NoMoreSharing."

But right now, this little girl LOVES her sister.  Every morning, Helen arrives at my bedside to whisper:  "Mommy, can I see my sister?"  The first time I took Alice with me to daycare to drop off Helen, one little girl came over to see the baby.  This classmate had a trail of snot dangling from one nostril, and I recoiled in horror, stammering, "No, no sweetie - Helen's the only one who can touch the baby."  And in one fell swoop, I created a possessive little child.  Today, Helen is overly proud of the fact that she's the only one who can touch the baby.  She tells everyone - her friends, teachers, and even other parents.  

I have spent a lot of time feeding this baby since her first day home, and Helen is always asking to see her.  Sometimes that means she wants to touch her or kiss on her.  Of course, when the baby is attached to me, that kind of downward pressure on the chest area can be a little painful for me.  As a concession, I'll tell Helen that she can hold her after I'm done feeding her.  Helen holding Alice can last anywhere from 5 seconds to whenever Alice starts crying.  Here was a particularly cute session that lasted longer than I expected, but still ended in crying:

Please note Helen continued to smile for the camera.  We have our priorities straight.