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The Big Sister and Her Hobbies

“Do you like being a big sister?” 

“Does Audrey cry a lot?”

“Is she loud?”

AaMaggie has been fielding the same questions from well-wishers since Audrey showed up and she’s pretty much done answering any questions about her little sister. People are met with blank stares and a non-answer when asking Maggie anything Audrey related. But if you want to talk to Maggie about her latest hobbies (boating, cutting, sewing, taping, and playing RunTickle) she’s happy to talk your ear off….and then some. 

About a week before Audrey was born a colleague at work sent home a mini lawn chair for maggie and it was love at first sight. It took about two shakes for Mags to set up a “boat” and ride around the house with New Baby and Ruff-Ruff the Pug. The boat has evolved into the lawn chair on top of a sheet, a broom for a fishing pole, dust pan for a paddle and scraps of paper for tickets. New Baby and Ruff Ruff are always passengers on the boat, we’ve given up suggesting that they get left behind in any capacity. 

Maggie’s other favorite thing to do around the house is work at her Art Table (or really any table, but we try to keep it contained at the Art Table when we can…obviously didn’t work in these photos) cutting up pieces of paper. There really isn’t a plan with all the pieces of paper, she just likes to cut. Lately she has worked her way through a few rolls of scotch tape and taped her ‘projects’ on walls, windows and any other available surface.  During the day I find myself fighting the uphill battle of sweeping scraps up, pulling tape off of myself from random places, but at night, after Maggie has gone to sleep, I adore looking at all her work stations. So much of her work goes unnoticed or unappreciated these days with my attention on Audrey and breastfeeding. 

There is almost always a running-commentary coming from Maggie’s mouth about what is going on around her, often in a sing-song voice. I hear my own phrases getting sung back to me and sometimes I’m grateful for my word choice, other times I realize I could adjust a word here or there. There have been many songs about diaper changes, etc. 

Maggie does love being a big sister and when her attention is turned to Audrey it is full of love. Lots of  “Oh, Baby. It’s alright. We’re all here.  I’m here. It’s okay” and “Don’t worry” types of things. The biggest challenge? Keeping Maggie’s hands off Audrey’s head. She just wants to pat that sweet little head and I totally get it, so we’re working on it. I’m trying really hard to make individual time for Maggie when Audrey is with Barry or snoozing . It’s hard, but also really important. 

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Waves of Change

Arriving Home for the first time.

Change can certainly be a very beautiful thing and with having Audrey join our family, I am adoring the change and transition. Last night Barry told me that he feels like we’re a real family now and hearing him say that made my eyes fill up with tears. I haven’t been able to place the feelings that have erupted inside me since Sunday, but when he said that it was exactly what I’ve been feeling: “Okay, we’re all here now. Life can go on…” 

We’re complete and Little Audrey – in all her newness – makes us feel so whole. And tonight while we were sitting on the couch watching the latest episode of Parenthood (if you don’t watch that show, you should) and Barry was holding Audrey all torpedoed up in her swaddle and Syd chewing on her bone between us, we heard little feet coming down the hallway. Of course it was Maggie who had gone to bed a while before but was awake and in search of her mama’s arms. 

After her puff of hair and sleepy eyes found their way into my arms, I laughed as I imagined what we looked like ~ Barry with the tiny little one, Syd in the middle and Maggie snuggled in my arms feeling not so little anymore. I’m pretty sure that both our girls would  happily sleep in our arms every single night if they could and Sydney would find a space between making sure that we’re all linked together like a chain. 

You see, we’re a tight-knit crew. When we’re on a walk and one of us crosses the street to throw away a poop-bag of Sydney’s, she stops and waits for us to be together again. Sydney doesn’t like to continue walking without us all together. Maggie is much the same, celebrating times when we’re all together and finding comfort knowing where both Barry and I are. She isn’t just a Mama or Papa girl, she’s a Family girl.

photo credit to Cora A. Glass

 

When the voice inside my head says ‘Okay, we’re all here now. Life can go on.” I really understand what that means and when my husband tells me that he feels like we’re a real family now, I can’t help but whole-heartidly agree.  I’m pretty sure that our girls, Sydney included, would agree as well….we’re all here and we’re a real family now.