Tuesday, April 26, 2011

One

My littlest baby turned one today.

Amazing. :)

She is so different from her brother. I guess that's fitting - she's her own person, so why should she be the same as Landon? From the very beginning, she carved out her own place in this family and has firmly planted herself. I'm watching her grow into a beautiful flower.

When she first came home, we were thrown for a loop. We were used to doting on one child, and suddenly now we had two. Landon was wonderful with her - loved her from the start - but we could tell he was confused about Mommy not tucking him in or helping him as much as usual through the day.

Justin and I were not sure how to parent two children. I mean, it was obvious that he would care for Landon and I would care for Kelsey, at least at first. I was nursing, so it was just like that. But, I missed my baby boy, and Justin wanted to care for his new baby girl. I remember sitting in the chair in Kelsey's room. Landon was standing in the doorway. He wasn't crying, but he just looked so sad because Mommy wasn't tucking him in. I made sure to find some time after that to tuck him in, even if it was quick before I had to run back to Kelsey.

It took a long time to find our "new normal." Slowly, we did find it. We transformed from a family of three to a family of four. That transformation definitely didn't happen overnight, but today, I cannot picture us without Kelsey. Our daughter. Landon's little sister. Tormentor of the cats (Xena is so patient). Drama queen. Diva. The most beautiful girl in the world.

When she was born, she was fussy and difficult. It took us awhile to get her diagnosed with silent reflux. Before then, people kept telling me to just let her cry. She was called a brat, even spoiled. I was told that I was making her act that way because I gave in to her too much. I knew that those people were wrong. I'm so glad I followed my instincts, because once she was diagnosed, treated, and allowed to sleep in a wedge at daycare, she became a different baby. Still a drama queen, of course, but a much more reasonable one. And I have the satisfaction of knowing that I didn't fail my baby and allow her to be in pain.

One of my favorite "Kelsey's Mommy" moments is when she sees me after we've been apart for hours - be it the morning or after a day at daycare. Her face lights up and she usually lets out a little giggle or squeal of delight. Now that she's walking, she stands up and walks over to me, but when she's around a foot or two away, she just throws herself into my arms without walking the rest of the way. I usually have to catch her before she hits the ground.

I love watching her with her brother. I catch glimpses of them holding hands in the rear-view mirror when they are in their car seats. Landon shares animal crackers with her. She laughs at him, at just about everything he does. He "helps" her, constantly. Sometimes his help hurts, but he always does it in kindness. He takes his role as Big Brother very seriously, and I know that any males in Kelsey's future will have to deal with him as well as her Daddy.

I love seeing my husband with a little girl. He is so good with his babies... so loving, caring, tender, and genuine. He has the patience to sit and teach them things that I get frustrated trying to explain.

I love our family with a Little Sister. As much as I loved our family of three, I don't miss it. Kelsey Rowan has been a beautiful addition - perfection. I'm not saying she's always easy or that there haven't been times of chaos or frustration. There most definitely have, and will continue to be. That's life, though. Her smiles, laughs, and peek-a-boos make it all worth it.

Happy 1st Birthday, Baby Girl. I'm so glad you joined our family.


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2 comments:

  1. Happy birthday to Kelsey!
    You just brought back all the memories of how it was for us when we added a second child to the family - heartbreaking to see the first child lose their only-child position. But now they are so happy together, I don't think Nikhil would have it any other way. The other day he was playing with his friend, who is an only child, and asked me if the friend had a sister. When I said no, he looked all sad and said we should send him a sister.
    Good on you for ignoring the cry-it-out monsters and being there for your baby when she needed you most. You are an awesome mommy!

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  2. echos of my experience with N and C....amazing how all of our experiences are unique and yet have common threads. Enjoy :)

    ReplyDelete

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