Oh-Bla-Di

As I mentioned when I wrote to Ava last week, one of the reasons I was so certain that adding another child to our family was a good idea is that it was so very clear that Ava was going to be an amazing big sister. Of course, seeing the two of them together has been a bit overwhelming to the emotions. Ava’s accepted Noah with an open and loving heart, which has made the transition just that much more easy on us all.

Ava and Noah met for the first time in the hospital, on the day he was born. We were a bit nervous about how it would go, since she’d been so determined that her new sibling was going to be a baby sister. Sarah did a great job prepping Ava for her visit, since by the time she arrived you’d never have known that her initial reaction to the news of her baby brother had put her in a state of complete shock.

Her first reaction was a little underwhelming, since a balloon was still the major attraction…

But, she warmed up to the idea of holding her baby brother and took to the activity like a fish to water.

Since we’ve been home, Ava’s been willing to help fetch things we need for Noah, to hold diapers during changes, and to just be sweet to him in general. Given how much her world has been rocked in the last few days, she’s doing really well adjusting to all the newness.

Of course, we’ve been working on keeping boundaries in place, rules the same, and as much normalcy for Ava as possible. She’s been testing us a bit and a little more needy, but we’re already seeing progress in how she’s doing. It’s amazing how big she seems now (and how heavy)! Doozy brought Ava her own baby doll when he came and that baby has been a near-permanent fixture in her arms and her bed at nighttime. Love that.

We’ve been learning to balance the needs of two also. Luckily, Noah doesn’t need much beyond the basics yet, so we have time and energy still to let Ava know she’s still our number one girl. Mostly, that just means letting her be a part of anything we can…so far, so good.

Love that our family has grown. Love that Ava loves her brother. This sibling thing is going to be pretty great, I think. Can’t wait to watch them grow together.