Our Sibling Preparation Method

Are we supposed to actually have one? Everyone we meet asks Henry how he feels about being a big brother. He always looks a bit perplexed at the question, but he has other pressing things on his mind.

Despite the TON of (unsolicited) advice we have gotten on the topic, we haven't done much. I ordered the requisite "I'm a Big Brother" book just because I felt like I should be doing "something" and someone else loaned us another book about there being a baby in the house. We have yet to read either to him, but he would rather read his "Oh David" books and imitate David shoving his finger up his nose.

According to some, we are way late on starting the process. But in our defense, his sense of time is pretty skewed. One day is pretty much the same as the next to him. Why worry him prematurely? He doesn't have the language skills to really express his fear yet (other than he doesn't like the Schwartzman Quartet on Jack's Big Music Show). It is a pretty abstract concept that "Mommy has a baby in her belly" if you really think about it.

He has only recently started understanding what a baby is. Not to generalize, but as a boy he has never played with dolls or nurturing type games. He has never shown interest until recently in even paying attention to babies. Two of his friends now have younger siblings, so I have tried to introduce the concept that way. Overall, he is very sweet to them.

I ask him if he wants a baby to come live with us, and of course his answer is "no." But, that is his answer to 99.99% of questions posed to him. I ask him if he is a baby and he answers that "no" as well, which may be a good thing.

I am slowly trying to take baby type items out of the closet so that they are not a novelty. Remember, Baby #2 will be sleeping in a hammock type device so I want him to get any rocking out of his system now! We did buy a toddler digital camera for the baby to give him when he comes to visit at the hospital, so hopefully that help.

That's pretty much the extent of it. I sense an impending disaster brewing!