I was going to save blogging for the evening, since I have a fun outing that I’m really looking forward to, but after a texty date with my sister, Grace, I realized that what we were talking about is something I’d love to just briefly touch on today 🙂 I’ll leave the stories of eating chocolate and having my feet rubbed for tomorrow maybe.
Roles within the family. I won’t go too terribly in depth, because I don’t feel like they’re very specifically defined in our house. We all fit into lots of places. But Gracey and I were talking about birth order and things like that, and it made me think about how having a third child will be a whole new cup of tea! Even though I have had a couple of kids already, and yes, I know the ropes of a couple different courses, no two kids are the same, and their order is part of that! So, just for fun, here is a breakdown of my views of how and where our kids fit into our home 🙂
Dekker Thomas is our oldest, and it shows. He’s had the most one on one time, so he’s a bit more hesitant around groups of people, having been alone with me so much, but he’s learning. He doesn’t like having his stuff messed with. He likes order, and for things to remain where he last put them. He is mommys big helper. He pulls his weight around (literally) by carrying his dishes to the sink, putting them in the top of the dishwasher even, unloading the dryer, bringing diapers and wipes when I ask, and feeding Laela snacks. This morning, Dekker was playing with his tea set, and was “stirring soup” in one of the cups. He carried the spoon all the way across the basement to feed Laela a taste, and came back to share some with me too. He also took it upon himself to comb Laela’s hair and admire it afterwards, telling her she looked so pretty, complete with a hug and kiss. I am confident he will be protective of Laela as they grow up together, and be the classic big strong brother who teases her about boys until she cries. He is a doting older brother to his younger sister, and seems to be genuinely anticipating his little brothers arrival. He even asked me if I thought the baby would tickle his tummy. He is so ready to have another little one around to play with and care for. He is incredibly sensitive, and has a very gentle soul.
Laela Hazel is the second child, and she is completely different from Dekker! She is always on the move, and is very very brave. She is the one who can smack her head against the couch and not miss a beat. She is the daredevil that makes me almost poop my pants on a somewhat daily basis. Yet, being that she is our second child, and I am considerably less afraid of everything, she also takes more spills because I rush to catch her less. When Laela falls off of the couch, she turns it into a superman dive roll and makes it look intentional. She is a mimic, which I actually quite enjoy. Her “monkey see, monkey do” mentality is endearing to Brady and I, and luckily, Dekker still thinks its fun. He isn’t always happy when she follows him like a shadow, but when she imitates his movements and we applaud, he loves it then. Dekker has taught Laela peek-a-boo, clapping, and the “sooo big” motion. Laela loves to be tickled and played with, but plays beautifully by herself. That being said, when she is upset and lets fly, you know she means it. She also loves to help, because Dekker does. If he retrieves a diaper, you can be confident that she is not far behind with a diaper of her own. She will throw her dirty diapers away in the diaper genie, and put her laundry into the hamper. She is incredibly clear in her communication, which has been probably one of the best things (in my opinion) about having her around. She has nodded “yes” for probably a good couple of months already, and its usually accompanied by a “ya.” She now shakes her head “no” too, and waves, points, and is just starting to utter a few small words, like cup, boo- for book, and wow 🙂 My heart shivered just days ago when she crawled up the stairs and upon arriving at the top, screeching “mommy mommy!!” I melt.
Dekker and Laela have a very special thing going, and while I hope no one is excluded or ignored, they have been together for a while now! They talk to each other in the car, share toys back and forth, and tease and tease and tease. They have a fabulous thing going!
Baby boy is our third child, and while I don’t know too terribly much about him just yet, I’m going to try and let you in on the few things that I do know, or suspect. Being that he is down the list in the birth order, there are almost no belly shots of him. We feel a bit guilty, but I don’t think its uncommon for this to be the case. He still makes himself to be noticed, so I wouldn’t say he’s neglected. He is quite unpredictable, and hasn’t been exactly like one pregnancy or the other. He is definitely an original. We think he will want to be noticed amongst his siblings. Currently, his way of doing this is by sleeping very, very lightly. If I roll over in the night, so does he. Over and over again. He has big opinions about what I eat, but almost all are positive, so he will likely be a tank who loves to eat. No purees or baby food for this boy! As for him being third in line, he has a brother and a sister waiting for him, and he adores them both already. When they are both sitting on my lap, he manages to nudge them both practically the whole time. Dekker thinks its funny, while Laela hasn’t noticed too much yet. She prefers to contact him through my belly button. I’m very curious to learn more about him, and to be able to share his name and stats with everyone else who is anticipating him. The biggest stereotype that I want to fight against for him is that babies get less and less exciting the more you have. Guys, he will be making his appearance in FIVE WEEKS, and I couldn’t be more floored and thrilled out of my face to meet him! I hope you feel the same, to the sane and appropriate degree that people should care about someone elses baby, haha! But let’s not let him be the random forgotten third child.
I can’t wait to fill in these gaps a bit more and get to know our baby boy so soon. These kids are spectacular.