Big Sister Prep

I really wanted to put down "on paper" some of the cute things Felicity has done since we told her about the baby. I really didn't think she would absorb as much as she has, and it is SO much fun to watch. We told her that mommy has a baby in her tummy right after we found out we were pregnant, and she almost immediately grabbed onto that concept and has run with it. If I talk about mommy's baby or the baby in my tummy she usually will pull my shirt up and either point to, tickle, or kiss the baby. She sometimes will come over to me and out of nowhere say baby and lift up my shirt. Often the first thing she does/says in the morning is "tiny baby!" followed by rubbing her hand across my belly. One of my favorite moments has been her lifting up my shirt, kissing my belly at my request, and then saying all on her own "night night baby" about 15 minutes before her bed time. She tries to "feed" baby with her toy baby bottle through my bellybutton, and also uses her doctor kit to give the baby a checkup. When I go tot he OB, she says I'm at Dr. Anna's (any Daniel Tiger fans out there?). My heart is so, so full and I can't imagine how full it will be once the baby is actually here for her to love on! Yes, I know there will be lots of tough moments for the big sister, but I will live for these sweet ones.

Dr. Felicity will see you now.

We have bought her quite a few books to help her prepare, since she spends 80% of her day reading or looking at books now. We chose:

I'm a Big Sister  I liked this one because it's a cross between a board book and a "real" book so it's pretty sturdy. The story is light and quick, but good for young toddlers.

Daniel Tiger: The Baby is Here This book was a no brainer because Felicity is obsessed with "Kitty" and "Baby Margaret" but I do like that it covers that mom and dad going away to have the baby within the context of her favorite characters. It also shows Margaret crying and Daniel trying to help. My only concern is Mom Tiger walking home from the hospital and introducing the day old baby to all the people in the Land of Make Believe, but I guess when you live there that's feasible ;). 

The New Baby at Your House I got this one because it was the only book at Barnes and Nobles (where we looked first before buying some on Amazon) that showed breastfeeding, which was important to me for her to see in books, especially once we weaned and it wasn't as 'normal' of a concept for her. I find it more boring because it has real pictures, but books with pictures of real babies are consistently her favorite and this one is no exception! It's also very wordy and I figured we'd just have to read a page here or there, so imagine my surprise when she listened to the whole thing the first time through, and every time after! It was definitely a great purchase.

Waiting For Baby  These next two books are very simple, but very cute. The wording is pretty minimal, but also allows you to talk about the pictures easily on your own and adapt it to your own family and situation. The artwork is simple but cute. 

My New Baby  This is another that shows breastfeeding and really opened up a conversation for us about how babies have nursies and/or bottles, and only drink milk. These two were so affordable and great additions to our baby prep collection! 

27 weeks! 

Felicity is now really into pretending she is a "tiny baby" (what she calls her sibling and any other child under the age of 4 haha!), which is both cute and, if I'm honest, slightly annoying. She will come over to me and, in the most hilarious voice, almost like she's sick, say "tiiiiny baby", and then back herself up so she's laying across my lap. I then hold her like a baby and she requests blanket and (doll) bottle, which she "drinks" from. Sometimes she says "wahhh wahhh" and asks me to rock her. It's hilarious and cute the first 5 or so times a day it happens... maybe a little less cute after that ;). Felicity also likes to play with her tiny babies- 3 baby dolls she has, although recently downgraded to 2 due to one losing a leg permanently. She will rock and shush them, and feed them their bottle. Love that girl!