Becoming a Big Sis
Our first visitors to come meet Darcie were her Gramsie Bush and big sister Daphne the morning after her birth. We had been talking to Daphne about her baby sister since almost day 1 of finding out we were pregnant, so her arrival should not have been too shocking to her...in theory!
The afternoon we brought Darcie home, I thought it was so funny how Daphne noticed her little cap on her head and ran to find her own winter cap to wear. She kept tiptoeing into the nursery and peeking into the bassinet to ooo and aww over her little sister.
Daphne meets Darcie for the first time.
These pictures are so funny to me because it shows how badly I bloat from the Pitocin. I think I lost like 15 lbs in water weight in 5 days.
First picture as a family of 4.
However, just as everyone has warned, this has been a big adjustment for our Daffodil. Thankfully, she adores baby sis and none of her anxiety has come out in the form of aggression towards baby sister. She is always very sweet towards Darcie and loves to help me by grabbing burp clothes, diapers or blankies, although she has refused to throw away the diapers when I change baby - I don't blame her!
First time holding Darcie.
Daphne is very soft with Darcie and holds her like a champ. We told her on the first day to just kiss baby on the head and not the face and she has been very diligent about making sure no one else kisses her face either! In fact, she has already developed a protective streak and is not afraid to stand up for her little sister. When we were at the Riding's house for dinner this past week, she somehow mistook baby Elise for baby Darcie and when Emmett was wrestling around with Elise, Daphne suddenly flipped and screamed, "Leave my baby sister alone Emmett!" Although she was mistaken, I thought it was sweet that she's ready to protect her sister.
While my Mom was here, Daphne seemed to really struggle, but I think it was more with the fact that Burke and I were in the hospital than the arrival of her baby sister, because as soon as we were home together just as our little family, she was her usual happy self. When it was she and my Mom, she started doing this awful lip buzzing/spitting business that we had never had a problem with in the past and she was quite sassy with Mom on several issues, which of course is a major bummer since they so rarely see each other. Thanks Mom for being patient!
We've had a couple emotional evenings that I believe are directly tied to the new presence in our home, but all in all I think Daphne and Darcie are both adjusting admirably well. A big thanks to Cassie Jo who took Daphne to play in St. George for a day, to Mumsie who was here with Daphne during our entire stay in the hospital and to Marie who has come to play several times and helped distract Miss Daph for a few hours. It is so wonderful to have such a great support system!
Here is a few video snapshots of Darcie and Daphne together in the first week of her life!
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