Dear William,
You are going to be a BIG brother to a little sister!! A middle child. I’m kind of at a loss for words for you and haven’t quite figured out how you’re going to respond to this major life change yet, both for when the baby arrives and the impact it will make as you grow.
When your baby sister arrives, you’ll be just short of 2.5 (assuming everything goes to plan), which is just a tinch older than Lexi was when you were born.
When you were born, I felt the transition was pretty challenging. Lexi constantly wanted/needed my attention and was intentionally naughty. As a result, I didn’t get to snuggle you as much as I would have liked. I can see you behaving similar to Lexi, pushing boundaries while looking at me and doing something you know is naughty but doing it anyways. On the other hand, I’m hoping Lexi will help keep you entertained and being able to play outside will make this initial transition a little less painful.
I have no clue how you are going to respond to the baby itself. You are very cuddly and affectionate with Daddy and I, always giving us hugs and kisses and wanting to snuggle on the couch or before bedtime and when you wake up. However, I’ve never seen you pick up one of Lexi’s babies or show any kind of nurturing behavior. You’re rough and touch and love to run and play with balls and push trucks around. I could see you being a little rough with the baby and wanting me to ‘send her back to the hospital’ as Lexi used to say but then part of me thinks you could really surprise me and be sweet and love to rock her and give her kisses. Time will tell.
As you grow, you’ll have so many important roles that you get to fill. You get to be a little brother to Lexi, yet also a Big Brother to your new sister and all of the fun things that come along with that. You and Lexi are the best of friends right now and love to play together. It will be interesting if you become the ‘pesky little brother’ as the years go on or if you two remain tight. You also get to watch out for your little sister and make sure nobody messes with her.
My dear boy, this also means you are becoming the middle child. As a middle child myself and the deprivation i endured (semi-kidding here) I’m going to do my best to make sure you don’t feel left out or over-shadowed by your big and little sis. I do think that being our only boy will really help this. You’ll get to do special things that the girls won’t likely do. And carrying on the family name (both of your grandpas and the last name) kind of puts you into your own playing field. Oh my sweet curly-haired William, your daddy and I love you so much and are constantly laughing and smiling at every funny (and naughty) thing you do. I’m so excited to watch you grow and adapt over the next year and pray there are more moments filled with laughter than tears.
Love,
Mommy
Peanut Smiles 