Natalie and Owen

One fear that Kristin and I had when we talked about having a second child was how Natalie would deal with a brother and sister, and how she would treat him/her. Throughout the pregnancy we tried to teach Natalie how she could help us and help her brother. She has always been interested in listening how she can be a helper. As we got closer to Owen being born, we still didn't know if all of our work was going to pay off, or if she would not like her little brother.

I am proud to report that Natalie has been the best Big Sister to Owen! She is constantly asking to hold him, or sing to him, or kiss on him. She can be a little rough at times, but I just don't think she understands how fragile a 1 week old can be.

That's not to say that Natalie has not been trying to get our attention by acting out, but we were expecting that, and it hasn't been bad at all. The best story I can share about Natalie adjusting to Owen coming home was two nights ago...

Natalie had a bad dream and came to our bed. She quickly climbed up and fell asleep between us. In short order, Owen was up and screaming in our room. At first, Natalie covered her eyes with one hand, and pet Owen's hair with her other to try and calm him down. She then progressed to covering up both of her ears because the screaming got a little too loud for her. She never complained, never asked him to stop crying, she just controlled what she could and tried to stay asleep.

Here are a few recent pictures of Natalie with her brother: