We have a new baby in the house. He came to us Monday night around 8pm, very much out of the blue. It's funny how you can anticipate and mentally prepare for something for months but then also be completely surprised and shocked when it finally happens. Initially we were told it would be a baby and his 5-year old brother, but the 5-year old ended up going with other siblings instead. A couple of hours after the phone call where we were asked if we would take them, our doorbell rang and a baby was dropped off. Completely surreal.
We have quite a few nicknames for our little fellow. He is a CHUNK. He turned 6 months old on Tuesday and already weighs over 20lbs and wears 12 and 18-month clothes and size 4 diapers. So naturally, some of his nicknames include Tiny, Smalls, and my personal favorite, L.B. You know, as in pounds. And linebacker. And large boy. And lard bottom. The way the kids pronounce it it flows more like Elby, which I find even more endearing. So that's what I'll call him here.
Meet Elby:
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| he's a lover of books |
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| Mom, you're not supposed to take pictures of his face! |
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| cute little piggies |
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| did I mention he's chunky? |
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| fast friends |
The kids were over the moon excited when we told them he was coming. I so wish I would have captured Harper's eyes lighting up when she heard that a BABY was joining our home. And Harrison too; he immediately started picking up his big kid toys and putting them away "to make it safe for the baby." If you've ever been around when Harrison is told to clean up, you know just how big of a deal it is when he voluntarily does it on his own. Ha!
They have both been so eager to help with him. Harper begs to help with his bottles and Harrison loves making him laugh. When we were at Target yesterday, Harper grabbed his hand and told me how much she loves being a big sister and having a baby brother. At first it caught me off guard, because we hadn't referred to him as a brother and have used the term "friend" instead. We have no idea whatsoever how long he's going to be with us so we've been more cautious about assigning labels that might make saying goodbye harder. I reminded her that he might only be with us for a short period of time and she told me, "I know, Mommy. But I'm his big sister for as long as he needs one and I'm going to be the best big sister I can be!" I mean, really? Never would I have thought my 3 year old could make me cry in the middle of Target. Or at least cry *happy* tears in the middle of Target. :) Just another example of how much we can underestimate little kids. They sometimes have far better insight and perspective than we give them credit for. Their love is pure and simple and I think we could all learn a thing or two from them when we go and try to complicate everything.
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| holding his hand :) |
We don't know much at all about this case or any of the baby's history, but that's actually been somewhat of a relief. We have an entirely different outlook and attitude about the fostering experience this time. Last time we wanted every single detail we could get our hands on. And then spent way too much energy analyzing that information and speculating about the future. This time we are intentionally trying to keep it simple and just enjoy and love on this sweet baby one day at a time. Like Harper said, we will be his family for as long as God needs us to be, and leave the rest of the details and planning to Him. This is probably the first time in the history of ever that I've embraced a go-with-the-flow attitude, and I must say, it's proving to be quite freeing.
Comments
I hope you're soaking up this time with Elby and enjoying things even more this time around. I still think about the twins (which is probably a little weird to admit since I obviously don't know them) and hope they're doing well and feeling loved.