Sibling Love

Just hours after Nora was born, we prepared for our two! children to meet for the very first time. We had looked forward to this moment for nine months, and it was even more amazing than we had imagined.

Nick held Sam’s hand as they walked down the hall towards our room, and we heard big brother singing “baby sister, I coming!”

Sam had picked out a stuffed animal just for Nora, and he clutched it tightly as they walked into our room. He stopped when he saw me in bed with the baby and a great big smile spread across his face.

In a matter of seconds, he had taken off his jacket and his shoes and climbed into bed with us.

He talked in a high-pitched baby voice and introduced himself as “I Sammy.” He wanted to touch her hair and her fingers and her toes, and he kept saying “oh, baby Nor-wah.”

“Nor-wah” had a gift for big brother, too: a backpack with books, stickers, snacks, a new water bottle, and a disposable camera. Not surprisingly, the camera was a big hit.

Our first photo as a family of four!

Nini and Pop and Auntie Laura spent the afternoon with us, too, although Sam didn’t want anyone else to hold “his baby.”

He was sweet and gentle and pretty much obsessed. They stayed for almost two hours before we decided it was time for Daddy to take Sammy home and get ready for bed. And I learned later, that when Nick tucked him in that night, he said “I miss Mommy” and “I miss Nora.”

My mom had planned to spend some time with us the next morning, but Sam insisted he come along. And he had to bring his backpack, too.

Sam visited that morning, and again for dinner that night. He even held Nora while she was awake, and I swear she was staring right into big brother’s eyes.

I have no doubt he will be a protective big brother.

Miss Nora and I had a nice two-night stay in the hospital, but we were more than ready to come home by Tuesday, which happened to be the coldest day in recent history! Seriously, it was -9 degrees (not including the wind chill factor) when Nick and Sam came to pick us up. We even received special instructions from the doctor to warm up the car for at least 10 minutes and sit in the back with the baby to ensure the temperature was comfortable for her.

Sam was thrilled to sit next to Nora on our short drive home. And as soon as we walked in the door, he said “I hold baby sister and watch Mickey.” And so they did.

Our first evening together was surprisingly quiet. We ordered pizza and spent a lot of time on the couch with our kiddos. Lucy kept her distance and only occasionally sniffed around Nora’s pack’n’play.

Sam and Nora were both sound asleep by 11pm, which I’ll consider a success. And, oh gosh, I can’t get enough of these two in their fleece jammies!

Sam was every bit as interested in Nora the next day. Though we did have to remind him numerous times to be careful and gentle.

He wanted to help change her diaper and had to sit right beside us while I nursed her.

So many impromptu photo ops!

Yes, life is incredibly crazy right now. But it’s also a whole lot of wonderful.