To me the story of my kids meeting is just as, if not more important than the birth story. It was a moment I will forever cherish and something I cannot wholly convey, I am sure. There is something so singular and precious about siblings meeting for the first time. It was something I must have experienced with my younger brother, but not something I remember. So watching my two children meet for the first time was the most precious thing I have ever witnessed.
However, their meeting did not begin in the hospital. Of that I am completely sure. Their meeting must have been beyond this life. While I was laboring in the hospital my son was spending the night with my parents. They had him tucked between them in bed and he was sleeping soundly. My mother, having received a text from my husband, had snuck out of the bed and out of the house around 2:45 or 3 a.m. to run to the hospital for Evie's birth. Later, with tears in his eyes, my dad told me that right around the time of Everly taking her first breaths in the hospital, Blake sat bolt upright in bed, waking up his Grandpa. My dad asked him what was wrong. Blake told him, with all clarity, that baby sister was coming out of mommy's tummy. My dad was surprised by this, especially by the timing as well as the sincerity and urgency in my little boy's voice. He knew, somehow, that his little sister was making her debut at that time. He knew it so well and so clearly that he had to wake up and tell somebody about it. He knew it and was so energized by it, that my dad said it took another hour to calm him down and get him to go back to sleep.
We had certainly told this big brother about his baby sister being in mommy's tummy. We told him that she would be joining our family. During those moments of familial conversation we were not exactly sure how much he was absorbing or even understanding. He never wanted to feel my belly or hear her bumping around in there. I was a little frightened he would want nothing to do with her when she got here. I was afraid I couldn't love another little person as much as I love my son. I was afraid that somehow she would not fit with us. All of that was then put to rest when Blake first latched eyes on her.
When Blake first came into the room at the hospital he asked, "Where is baby sister?" The baby sister was still with the nurses. It was about 10 a.m. and I wanted to be sure he and I got to have some one on one time before introducing this new sister to him. I cuddled him and held him, thinking how much he had seemed to grow overnight. I talked with him about his sleepover with Grandpa and what he had for breakfast. I was so, so happy to see him and had missed him so much and so deeply while I was away. We sat on the bed for a good ten minutes before I sent Spencer to get baby sister. Then when she came in and Blake peeked over the little plastic cradle at her, my heart nearly burst.
Me: "Blakie, who is that?"
Blake: "Baby sister!" the smile on his face a mile wide. His eyes about the same.
Me: "What is her name?"
Blake: "Evie."
Me: "Do you want to hold her?"
Blake: in the softest whisper, "Yeah."
We propped him on the bed with me and lay her down in his lap. He couldn't see her face, but kept trying to crane his neck so he could get a good look at her. I could not stop smiling. It was all I had ever wanted, for him to be so curious about her and so gentle. I helped him hold her for maybe a minute before he was ready to get down. We held out the best for last.
Me: "Blakie, baby sister got a surprise for you."
Blake: "What is it?!?" he was so excited.
Me: "Did you get a present for baby sister?"
Blake: "Yeah."
Then my mom, who had brought said gifts in with her, handed over the bags from the Disney store. They had picked up, upon Spencer's request, a plush Winnie the Pooh and a little Piglet. Blake received the bear from baby sister, and baby sister the little pink pig from her big brother. He was thrilled with his new toy and didn't put it down for days. Also, anytime Evie would start crying he would become so concerned and start scouring the house. "Baby Sister needs her Piglet," he would say with such concern. Then, once found, he would flop the pig down in her seat or in her crib and say, "There you go baby sister."
To this day he has only held her a couple of times, and only for a minute before wanting to be done. He is still very unsure of her presence, but is growing more and more accustomed every day. He is very needy, and very whiny, but he also seems like so much the big brother to me now. I can't wait to see how their relationship grows over the years. I know there will be some loathing, some fighting, as well as the loving and supporting. This initial meeting really is just the beginning of one of the closest friendships I hope they will ever know.
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