Our second son was born a few weeks ago and as you can see from the photo, Henry couldn't be more thrilled. He genuinely adores his baby brother and can't give him enough kisses and hugs. When James cries, Henry gently pats him on the back and head and says, "Are you OK? It's OK." It is a true relief for us to see how well Henry is doing with our newest family member. Hopefully things will continue to go smoothly. I'm still waiting for pangs of jealousy to surface, but Henry doesn't seem jealous when I'm nursing. The only clingy moments were at the beginning of my mom's visit (before James was born) - Henry would cry when it was time for her to take him to his classes. But after a few weeks and lots of bribes - he now happily goes with her to class. I'll be sad when she leaves. She has been a great help during this time of transition.
We were so concerned about how Henry would handle the transition: Mommy and Daddy disappear for a few days; his world as he knows it is over; etc. While we were at the hospital, my mom stayed with Henry at our home. One night he asked to "call Mommy and Daddy." He was happy to talk to us - not sad or depressed. My mom put him to bed and left the phone on the dresser. She found Henry in the morning sleeping with the phone. We later realized he had dialed my sister at 3am via the programmed phone book. Luckily, Henry had lots of cousins to distract him while we were gone. And although my mom said he was a little quiet and sad while we were away, he was generally happy.
My sister-in-law gave us the most comforting advice. She said, "Things will be different. But just remember you are giving Henry the best gift in the entire world: a sibling." And now that we see how precious they are together - even while James is just a little sausage - we know it's true.
I'm outnumbered 3:1 and loving it.
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