Liddi’s Sibs

Liddi’s Sibs

Liddi is loved. The smush-faced, sloppy-kiss, slightly-too-roughly-squeezed kind of love. The kind only given by siblings. Corban is absolutely smitten with her. He can’t take his eyes off her and holds her constantly. He was ready for a rare break the other day. Auntie Anna picked Liddi up, and sweet Liddi started crying. “Why is she crying?” concerned Corban begged to know. “Oh, she probably just wants you to hold her forever,” Anna teased. *pause* “*sigh* Oooookay,” Corban acquiesced and scootched back to his place on the couch, arms out, ready to hold his sister into eternity.

In addition to holding her, Corban would also love to be able to provide for her dietary needs. “I wish I had two belly buttons up here so I could give my baby sister milk,” he told Auntie Anna. She assured him that that job was just for mommies and he needn’t worry if she’ll get enough. And then she turned around and giggled her brains out.

Speaking of Anna, let me just put in a little plug for this younger sister of mine. She’s amazing with kids and chose to spend Sunday through Wednesday with ours while I labored and after Liddi was born. We took naps while she took them to the library. We oogled pretty Liddi while she hung out at Jen’s house. She came during the big snow storm, and we just couldn’t be more appreciative of that woman! I’m sure she charges a fair rate for my good friends.

Well, Anna took the kids back to Michigan with her Wednesday so that James and I could spend some time getting to know Liddi, napping whenever we pleased (which has turned out to be essential with her lovely sleep-all-day-cry-all-night routine), eating in peace, cleaning up much, much less. It has been so wonderfully relaxing for us. It’s been a little hard on the kiddos, though. Especially Big Bro C who misses his sister like crazy. I sent the picture of him hugging Liddi with him in a special book. “Whenever you miss Liddi or you feel like she’s missing you, just hug this picture and tell her you’ll be back after church on Sunday.” I’ve been told the picture has been hugged and kissed and stared at multiple times daily. For as nice as this transition was for us, we’re ready to be a family of five and start our new normal!

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Jaeda, on the other hand, isn’t quite as enamored. Once she figured out that Liddi doesn’t really play, poor Jaeda wasn’t quite sure what the purpose of this new little sister was. DSC_0101 2 DSC_0104
That is, until she realized that Liddi came with a new puppy. Animals and pretend babies hold a very special place in Jaeda’s heart, and she knew just what to do with Liddi’s little Pinkie.
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This pic pretty much sums up Corban’s rapt attention and Jaeda’s standoffishness. I’m sure they’ll both come more to the middle in time.DSC_0136

We wanted the kids to make a birthday cake for Liddi that we could eat on her birthday. Well, Liddi was born Sunday, February 15, at 11:01pm. Not exactly cake time. And Monday was recovery day times a thousand. So Tuesday, we all made a sprinkles cake together, cut out an for Liddi, and made a big zero out of candles. Then we sang Happy Birthday and Corban and Jaeda blew out aaaaall the candles. Best part, of course.

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And that’s been Liddi’s introduction to her siblings and life at the Steele house. It’s funny because just a few weeks ago when Corban, Jaeda, and I would be playing e.g. Legos in the living room, every once in a while I would get the feeling that someone was missing. Like the baby had been crying for an hour and I never heard her. Or that she had slept too long and needed to eat. Except that we didn’t have a baby yet! It feels so right to have Liddi Bitty join our family. We’ve just been waiting for her!

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