Serena has been a complete surprise to me these last few months. Since about the time she has been crawling she has been pretty clingy. When she started walking it got even worse. She didn't like to go places without either Richard or me (mostly Richard since she was a huge Daddy's girl!). I remember we'd be at Sea World and I would take her in a little area for small kids and she would just sit there quietly on my lap. In our own home we couldn't get her to sit still, but take her out in public and she was stuck on us like glue. As the months passed and I got farther along in my pregnancy I really started to worry. How would she react to the new baby? How would she react to not having all the attention she was used to? How would she react to us holding another baby? When she was about thirteen months old things slowly started to change. With a little coaxing she would play on her own at the play places we went to. I started to tell Richard not to hold her all the time when he got home from work because she was going to have to get used to being by herself a little bit. Even though she was getting better, she still had some clinginess and I was still nervous how she would react to another little one invading her space. She was obviously used to sharing toys and space with an older sibling, but bringing someone new and smaller into the mix was a whole different scenario.
As it turned out I shouldn't have spent one second worrying. When we first brought Jameson home from the hospital Serena mostly ignored him, but I was perfectly happy with that. Better her ignore his presence than hit, kick or bite him. Over time she started to get used to the idea that her little brother wasn't going anywhere. She started to pay attention to him and they developed a little relationship. Nowadays, she loves him to bits. When I bring the girls downstairs in the morning, the first thing Serena does is look around for Jameson. Once she spots him, she runs over and gives him hugs and kisses. That baby never gets anything but hugs and kisses from his big sister Serena. Sure, there have been times where she might have been a little rough, but I can't think of one instance where she has been flat out mean on purpose. She is his biggest protector and a real helper to me. If she sees that he has spit up, she will run and grab a burp rag and wipe his face. If he starts to get fussy she will bring his bottle or paci and try to put it in his mouth. And the love between them is mutual. Jameson's face lights up whenever he sees her. Just this afternoon when Jameson was sitting in his carseat Serena was playing with him and making him laugh.
One day a few weeks ago I had just gotten Jameson's bottle ready and put it on the couch. By the time I went to grab him, Serena had hopped up there and had the bottle in her hands. I thought "why not" and put the baby in her lap where she proceeded to feed him. It was the funniest sight because Jameson is nearly as big as her at just three months old! She had to be reminded several times to keep the bottle in his mouth and her attention was easily distracted, but she sat there for a good five minutes giving him his bottle and just loving on him. It was the sweetest sight and just brought tears to my eyes. It wasn't that long ago that we were bringing Serena home from the hospital as a newborn and Calli was feeding her for the first time in that same spot. Now it was her turn to feed her little sibling and she was such a proud big sister.
The girls may fight like cats and dogs some days, but I know that we are truly blessed to have three beautiful, healthy kids who love each other so much. I am happy that they get to grow up together and hope that they will continue to have these special bonds for the rest of their lives.
Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet. ~ Vietnamese Proverb
Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of. You know whatever you do, they'll still be there. ~ Amy Li
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