Anna the Super Sister

There's a song Anna loves from one of her Tom Hunter CDs that sings about getting up in the morning and leaving for your favorite place to play.  She asked me to sing it to her the other night, so I did. And when I paused so she could fill in her destination, she enthusiastically said "Hawaii!" And as I finished singing the verse she muttered, "by myself! And my brother is coming too."

Ever since Little Llama came along, I'm chopped liver. She tells him every day that she loves him more than me.  But refuses to clarify whether that means that she loves him more than she loves me or that she loves him more than I love him. I firmly believe that if she could lift him, she'd take over as his mother and banish me to my bedroom for the rest of the summer.  And I think I might take her up on it some days!

When I first found out I was pregnant last summer, I was really nervous.  Anna was in the middle of a really nasty tantrum phase and I was terrified about adding to the stress and responsibility of one child.  I was worried about how she would take the addition of a baby to our family.  Worried about how much worse her tantrums and behavior would get. Worried that she would think I didn't love her once the baby came along.

But you know what, that girl is a constant surprise.  She has handled the transition to Big Sister with amazing ease.  From the moment she walked into our hospital room in April, she has been nothing but proud and loving to that baby.  Only a few hiccups here and there, and I think I need to take responsibility for most of those.  I don't have much patience when I haven't gotten any sleep.

She's a great helper and she adores Henry.  She loves to read him stories and make up crazy songs to sing to him. Often when Henry starts to cry and I'm in the other room attempting to scarf the oatmeal that I've reheated 3 times but still not finished, Anna will yell "I'M ON IT!" and run to find his nuk or just be with him.

Her first demand every morning is "where is my brother?"  No "good morning."  No "hi, mommy." And it isn't a question.  It's a threat.  She may as well be saying, "Tell me where my brother is right this second or else!"  Of course, her second demand is to hold him.  And then they smile and talk to each other until Henry decides he's hungry or spits up so hard I have to clean it from between his toes. Anna only wants him when he's clean and happy.  But I'm welcome to him the rest of the time.

Watching them together makes me incredibly happy and also makes me feel incredibly blessed.  I'm trying to learn to hold on to that feeling during the chaotic times because I know how fast this will go and very soon I will be wishing for these days.

Added bonus, a video of Henry's new trick, the fake cough.  Please excuse Anna's smokers hacking cough.  It grosses me out, but Henry finds it funny.