The title says it all. Literally..
On the 6th April this year, we left our family home of 3 at 10.30am and we returned home at 4.30pm to a home which was now a home for 4. The look of horror on my Daughters face when she returned home from her Nanny's was completely heart wrenching. As soon as I heard her feet hitting the hallway floor my heart was racing in anticipation that my two beautiful children were about to meet each-other for the first time. Let me explain first what I had envisioned and then we'll get onto what actually happened..
I had visions of Faith bursting through the door and wanting to hold her fresh sibling immediately, I also had visions of their first cuddle, the most amazing picture we would ever take in our lifetimes. My cousin had given birth only a few days before me and her son took to their new daughter amazing and I was totally expecting the same, but our response was very different. Whats worse is that I recorded the whole event and it breaks my heart to see my little flowers face as she takes her first glimpse of him, however I cannot wait to show them both when they are older! It was like one of those really awkward meetings in the street of you and a friend that haven't seen each other in about 8 years.
My partner gently says "Who is in the front room with Mummy, you better go and have a look" and in she walks, looks in my arms pulls a horrifying fake smile and nervously giggles for about two minutes, after that the video cuts out. So fast forward to Rupert being 3 days old, guests coming through the door all say the same thing "Wow do you love your new little brother" - que the nervous laugh and "Nooo I dont". On day 4 she touched his head (see inserted pictures) then proceeded to swing him erratically in his chair. On day 8 she let us put him on her lap for a very brief period. So as you can imagine, expectations didn't live up to reality and I was left feeling like I had ruined her life.
Anyway, I can finally announce that Faith now acknowledges her brother, and will have something to do with him. SHOCKER, but she even asks to hold him now. That makes me burst with happiness, but we took a while to get there.
The moral of my story is not expect very much from the older sibling. We have established that it is a ginormous change in our household and understandably Faith was scared of the adjustment. Just as we were for the first week of him being new in our lives.
Everything takes time, and about 32 kinder eggs. x
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