Monday, January 29, 2007

An artifice in which the child uses the word zeal

I know the blog has been sorta suckey lately. A bit too many off handed one-liners. Rolling diatribes and well ... tired, overworked, taxed bloggers parents of two children nearly under two... Itinerant commenters (sorry we are getting around again..)

But you're on notice now. I have some really great material in mind these days. It is all in draftsville. Just you wait.

For now here is a letter to new older siblings from our Girl Friday. Congratulations to Lumpyhead and Q. on their recent arrivals and to dear Foo on her growing boy...

Dear All,

Heard you got some new siblings out there. Let me tell you how it really goes when you get a little brother or sister. I can tell you it has been a bit of road for me. Yep, quite the experience from the hoth-pit-all to today when my juji-baby provided the applause at my dance class. The news ain't all bad, eh?

In the first month
You will find that you get a lot of gifts. Who-hoooo.... right? Well, yes the presents are nice. There are certainly a lot of visitors coming around. But the don't just come. They go, too. And, that is a bummer.

Also, as a toddler who often thinks meals are stupid.... I was not prepared for how much THE BABY wanted to eat. Weird.

In the second month
You might find things will have returned to normal for Dad. He will be at work like before and it could just be you, Mom and THE BABY at home.. All the good food supplies will have dried up by now and you'll find you get to eat a lot of pizza. In my case that was good news.

By this time I thought it was worth trying to get THE BABY to join in with all my excellent gaming. But you know when I asked if THE BABY could sit with me.. Mom said no. Could THE BABY say hi to me? Mom said no, honey. Can the baby wear a hat? Yes. Yes Mom said. THE BABY can wear a hat.

I was somewhat relieved by this and we managed to sit in the laundry basket off and on and pretend we were on an ocean voyage. At least he got the hat part. That's something. BABY was getting less amoeba-like. Good.

In the third month
I was finally returned to daycare when THE BABY was about 3 months. THANK GOD. You know living with a baby is stressful. They have no routine and they poop all the time.. it's yellow. Did you know that? It really didn't matter how easy going a baby we had when Opa asked I volunteered. "THE BABY cries. A LOT!"

It was a lot more relaxing for me to kick back with my friends at daycare a couple days a week. Make some crafts. Play pretend with more complex concepts than the hat thing.. Get. some. sleep. Phew.

In the fourth month
MY BABY got a lot more fun. I could make MY BABY laugh. And, I could tell you who could -- and could NOT -- have MY BABY. We would have storytimes with Mom and he would laugh along with us at the good parts. He would touch my face and I would hold him. Sometimes Mom would cry. She is such a sap. (And, she says she's tired too.)

In the fifth month
Well, it was Christmas around here so who really cares about anything else? I think at this point Mom let me give baby a cracker or something. I am a big help Mom says.

In the sixth month
Things are starting to look really good. We can play ball now and he loves balloons just like me. I know MY BABY loves me and I love him.

Sure there are were times I pulled his scalp. Or told Mom not to feed him AGAIN. I have shouted to put him back in his crib and I meant it. I have not always been myself since he was born. But that said I don't remember what is was like to be without him. Mommy's big belly is a more than distant memory.

Mommy tells me "He's your brother and he will love you for the rest of your life." (someone smart told her that) That sounds really good. I don't know that I really understood love like this until I had my brother. I mean I knew Mommy and Daddy, and Baba and Grandpa and Uncle B. and Auntie Cookie, Oma and Opa and all the rest of them.. well they loved me. For sure. But I don't think I knew quite so clearly how to love someone else; not like now. Not like I do now that I love my brother and it isn't always easy. I love all my family and even my friends with greater zeal. It feels good. All this love.

I'm lucky. Good luck to you.

Signed Miss Fancy

6 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Lets see your mommy on WetCoastWomen please!!!

And yes..having a little sibling is fun sort of....when they are mobile they think you are the coolest thing ever and will always laugh at your fart jokes.

Always.

2:04 p.m.  
Blogger Lumpyheadsmom said...

Thanks for the advice, Miss Fancy! I'll pass it along to Lumpyhead, who's still in the "gifts and grandparents" stage. I don't think he understands that this new little mewling being is here to stay.

11:23 p.m.  
Blogger Mamacita Tina said...

Ian agrees wholeheartedly, the baby cries A LOT! So in retaliation,he had a few biting incidents on her poor wee foot.

Just wait 'til the baby starts crawling and walking, then they chase each other around, very CUTE!

6:14 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

miss fancy,
foo is upstairs not sleeping, but i will respond instead. your mom is one funny lady. tell her i'm i'll with familiarity on months one and 2. if i survive any more of them, foo will probably follow in your footsteps. i bet you're a good helper. the sassiest girs always are.

thanks for the heads up,
bmc

ps thanks mo

8:12 p.m.  
Blogger Bea said...

It's so true - suddenly at four months or so, it goes from THE BABY to MY BABY. In our case it was the Jolly Jumper that did it: Bub took one look at his baby sister in that thing and his astonished expression said it all: You mean she can stand? She's a person? You could have knocked him over with a feather.

11:26 a.m.  
Blogger Her Bad Mother said...

See, this is EXACTLY what I needed to read. Exactly. Thank you.

3:34 p.m.  

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