Day 2: The kids meet for the first time.

This is a post from earlier in day 2.

Grandma brought Shaw over at 9:30am. It was a good time for the first meeting, and excellent that he had stayed with her an extra night. She was right that the morning was much better then melt down prone evenings for the first meeting.

He came in and ran into my arms and said "where's the baby?!" So far, a Disney first meeting.

We ran upstairs and he jumped on the bed. He looked at her and become almost instantly silly, in his 2 years and 10 months old way. He hugged Laura a lot and tried to nurse since she was only wearing one of my old flannel button downs, but who wouldn't try really? She's already starting to get engorged.

He was sort of embarrassed I think. He ran into his room, remarked at the strange birthing pool blocking his entire playspace, then came back with his electric cheap toy Violin and played it on the bed incessantly while Grandma met the baby.  Short visits as the midwife said, so Grandma bowed out soon after a bit of chatting and a nice holding of the baby.

He came and went, never staying for too long. For lunch and dinner, he wanted to eat with me downstairs. I played with him all day. At nap time we all ended up in the same bed, and he wanted to sleep next to momma and baby. We read a great new book we got for him, Katy and the Big Snow I think... We all took a nap. That was special. Laura's healing well, but still bloated and tired. The nursing is triggering the re-configuration of most of her major organs. Literally.


I played with him all afternoon, until I needed to get out and took him shopping while grandma come over to sit with Laura. We made it in under an hour, including a bit of shoveling, which he loves.

At night, Laura read to him next to baby but he didn't want to sleep in the big bed (we recently dug into savings and got a king bed, awesome!).

In his room, in his full mattress on the floor, he got pensive. He didn't want lie down in the normal spot, but kept lying at my feet. He sat up and stared nowhere for a while, then the baby cried and he looked mortified, and asked "why is it crying," and "I want momma here," but it was in a resigned way, I sensed. As he stared, I also sensed he knew he'd lost part of her full focused loving attention on him for a while, if not forever. At least in that special way a mother can love a child when there's only one. I can relate, I've lost part of her attention too. Sadness and also joy, since we'll all gain the love of Ivy to us. And we'll be a stronger family with all four!