Sibling Revelry
Ethan had one painfully straightforward sentiment for his little sister in the weeks following her birth: “bye bye baby!”
Every night for what seemed like eternity, he would crawl to the front door, pull himself up to stand, reach for the handle and show Tessa the way out—all the while shouting “bye bye baby” over and over at the top of his lungs.
He also chose some less articulate ways to show me just how much I had betrayed him by giving birth to another. Like sticking his finger in an electrical socket as soon as she latched on to nurse. Or pretending he wanted to hug me and then biting my shoulder at the last minute instead. Or moving in to give her a kiss on the forehead and then deciding a good head-butt would be better.
In those dark days of grumpy transition, I wondered if we had permanently ruined the disposition of our sweet, laid back, happy-go-lucky little boy by giving him an attention-stealing sibling.
Today, those feelings are fuzzy and far away.
On May 26, 2011
