Little Big Sister

Astrid has been our family star for close to two years now. She gets spoiled by Mom and Dad with affection and our entire attention and is our near constant companion. We weren't sure how she would respond with the arrival of little Stella, but we prepared for the worst and hoped she would tolerate the new addition. We did our best to tell her who was coming and the role of Big Sister she would soon occupy. We got the big sister themed books, the game of kiss the belly and a present for her when she met her little lifelong friend. Now 5 weeks into Stella's arrival, she's exceeded our greatest expectations and has impressed us with her willingness to care for and love her little sister.

When Stella needs a diaper change, Astrid fetches us a fresh one and disposes of the dirty one. When Stella doesn't have a blanket on her, she grabs any available square like item from a tissue, a burp cloth or her actual blanket and drapes it delicately over her. When Stella cries from the other room, Astrid usually runs into the room to see what's the matter. When Mom or Dad are holding Stella, she usually snuggles up close by and gently pats Stella's head (or sometimes whacks in her the back as whether she needs to burp or not. And last, but not all, just before bedtime, Astrid gives a little kiss to her forehead, a gentle stroke of the head and in her own little language tells Stella that she'll be alright and big sister is looking out for her.

Every now and then, while Jen is usually breastfeeding, Astrid will cry at the thought of having to share attention from Mom, a normal toddler streak of jealousy, but that has subsided quite a bit in recent weeks. All in all, Astrid has been far and away more mature, kind and loving than we thought possible.

It's truly beautiful to see the lifelong sisterly bond form new connections every day into the love that will carry with them the rest of their lives. We can only hope the trend continues as Stella learns to crawl into Astrid's toy bins, closet, diary and so much more in the years to come.