... there will be lots of changes in my life, and I sure hope Mamma and Pappa know what they're doing, as I'm really not sure about this whole thing. Yes, I don't mind Mamma having a baby in her belly, and there being cute baby clothes around the house, and besides I got a new doll from Mommo and Moffa, one that I can put a diaper on and dress up really pretty, so that's all good! But... how am I going to get used to a cry-baby in the house, taking up so much attention? Attention that I should be getting, really.
So Mamma and Pappa asked a friend of theirs, Julia's Mommy Lisa. Julia (who's also 2) had a baby brother Jonathan this winter, so I guess they know what they're talking about. And here's some advice that Lisa sent for how to introduce (big word) the baby:
* Julia visited me in the hospital on day 2 and I had a gift for her from me vs. from the baby. I heard that it would help Julia know that I was thinking of her. (The gift was "I'm a big sister" t-shirt and something else). When she came to the hospital, we had a neutral 3rd party person there (my friend) who picked up Jonathan and showed her him vs. me or Paul holding him the first time. She quickly saw him and then went about her own thing (playing in my hosptial bed :-)
* When we got home from the hospital, we brought Julia an Elmo balloon (she loves Elmo) and that occupied her attention while we got Jonathan settled in. We showed her him and said "baby", and that is how she now knows him and calls him.
* The next day when we tended to Jonathan in front of her, we had her help (e.g. hand us a diaper, etc.).
A few months down the line, turns out that Baby Jonathan isn't so bad after all, and Julia is OK with having him around. But... he's not yet so much fun to play with (go figure), but Julia's Mommy had an idea that Julia really liked. I could see myself doing something like that, because I'm a really good Mamma's and Pappa's helper!
* Toddlers, as you know, have tons of energy. Moms (especially those of us with toddlers/infants in our 40s often don't :-). Babies at times want/need attention/interaction. So last week I was thinking, how can I channel Julia's energy into giving Jonathan positive attention so I could rest nearby? Well, Julia has an alphabet wooden puzzle that she likes to play with, so my thought was, how about I was teach Julia how to engage with Jonathan by modeling for her / pretending I was teaching Jonathan the A, B, Cs using her alphabet puzzle board. (Jonathan was sitting in his bouncy seat next to us). I would say "Baby, A....,Baby, B...., Baby, C...." and I would show him each letter as I said it and then put it in the puzzle. I then encouraged Julia to do the same, and she did that for several letters. Funny Part: The next morning I ran upstairs for something while Julia was playing in the living room. Julia's favorite toy is her stuffed animal, bear. She sleeps with him, hugs him, loves him. A few moments later I overheard Julia saying "Bear, A....Bear, B..., Bear, C...." and as I peaked down the stairwell, I saw her sitting on the floor with Bear right next to her as she was teaching him the alphabet. It was so cute. If I had my video camera at hand, I would have taped it. The win-win-win: Since then, Julia has engaged more with Jonathan wanting to teach him the alphabet, numbers, show him books, etc. So my ongoing strategy is to continue to encourage her doing that and model more positive / educational interactions like that.
All this is good stuff, but I'm still not 100% convinced, so if you have some more creative advice for Mamma and Pappa - send it their way, especially if it involves them spending more time with ME!