To those worried about sibling and baby #2...

[rdgove]

I have an almost 3 yr old with a chronic disease who needs constant monitoring and a baby who is not a great sleeper at night. Here are my tips (take them with a grain of salt):

-I am amazed everyday by DD's complete adoration of her little brother. She loves him completely, even when he is screaming his head off. She plays with him, reads to him (see attached picture), and happily waits patiently when he needs something (or tries to do it herself). It melts my heart everytime I see them together.

-DS lights up when he sees his sister. He knows her already, loves to be held and played with by her, and will happily sit near her just to watch everything she is doing. He is enthralled by her.

-Wear baby as much as possible when dealing with the two of them. DS loves to be worn in the moby and I can get so much done with DD and around the house when he is either worn, in his swing, or in his stroller.

-My DD is mostly in preschool during the day (except one day a week when she has dr appts or treatments) and I can't recommend this enough. While I love seeing them together, I find that I relish the individual, one on one time with baby. He loves to cuddle and fall asleep at the breast, so we often will nap together or just lay in bed for an hour playing peek a boo or tickling his toes. Those moments are special and I only get them when DD is at school (plus, she adores school and it's great for her). If possible, send the older child to school at least two days a week so you can have some time alone with baby.

-Make sure you and DH agree on one day a week when he will watch the baby and older child so you can go out, nap alone, shower for more than 10 min, get a pedicure, whatever. Pump a bottle and get out of babyland for 4 hours. On Saturdays, DH watches both kids from 10-2 so I can sleep without interruption and then go to lunch. It's heavenly and makes me feel like an adult again.

-You will survive and you will not regret it. I honestly was terrified that we had made a huge mistake (and we had planned this baby!) - now that he is here, he has meshed seemlessly into our lives and the second time around has been soooo much easier than the first. Like, 20 times easier. I wish I hadn't tortured myself with doubts during my pregnancy.

Let me know if you have any questions. These are just my opinions and experiences, so please don't yell at me...thanks, lol.

[sugarbear]

This is super helpful to me! I'm the one who started the thread the other day, but between that thread and your post, I'm feeling much better about things now!

[pugz]

they are adorable together!

[rdgove]

Here's another picture with DS looking a little crazy while DD "does" his hair. They are too funny together.

Another tip: read as many new baby/big brother/big sister books with your older one as possible...this made the transition easier for my DD to anticipate and she had no surprises once DS came along. And integrate the baby right into your older one's routine...babies adapt pretty well and can be toted anywhere.

And for the first few weeks when baby won't sleep at night and you feel out of control: remember that a hot shower can fix a lot, it's ok to cry, and IT WILL END! The hard times are by far the shortest times...it gets so much better.

[pugz]

ahh so cute! I think all of us with new babies have those jammies

[countthestars]

So cute! I love her jersey

[whitepicketfence]

You have adorable kids

Also, having been there myself, I totally agree with all of your points. Now that DD2 is getting a bit older, life is SO much easier. I love watching my girls interact with each other.

[knitty]

My older one loved the baby until around four months when the baby became more than just an occasional plaything. That was when the real adjustment behavioural issues started. Of course tat was around the time the older turned three and we all know about three year olds. They love each other, but I wish someone had warned me that just like with sleep, just because everything's going swimmingly for a couple of months, that doesn't mean it's a given forevermore.

A great book is Siblings without Rivalry.

[cosmowife]

Thanks for the post. Your pics are so cute! The very bottom picture melts my heart - your daughter has such a face of pure joy holding her brother for the first time!!!

[hannamaren]

Okay not helping the second baby fever
I have convinced myself to wait until spring.

[brit1017]

Dec 12, 2012 23:38:37 GMT -5 knitty said:

My older one loved the baby until around four months when the baby became more than just an occasional plaything. That was when the real adjustment behavioural issues started. Of course tat was around the time the older turned three and we all know about three year olds. They love each other, but I wish someone had warned me that just like with sleep, just because everything's going swimmingly for a couple of months, that doesn't mean it's a given forevermore.

A great book is Siblings without Rivalry.

Rdgrove a lot of the advice is good, but there is this too. There are days that will be really hard b/c they aren't getting along and seem to go out of their way to bother each other. It passes and there will be times that they can play together so nicely that your heart wants to burst, but there are days when you just want to keep them in separate rooms all day so that they aren't constantly fighting.

[vanillacourage]

:Y:

[karinothing]

ha ha the picture of her sister's hair cracks me up! So adorable.

[Deleted]

:Y:

I agree, it's definitely worth it. My guys are 21 months apart and now that they're 4.5 and 2.5 they are best buddies and play together so well. I can take them to the playground or children's museum and just let them go entertain each other. It's awesome.

[Deleted]

this is a sweet post. Thanks for sharing!

[Ashley&Scott]

Great advice & adorable pics! I am very much looking forward to someday experiencing this