Day 135: I Can't Talk Yet, but When I Do...

We brought this adorable book home from the library last week and it is so sweet that I just had to write about it.  Told from the perspective of a baby brother to his older sister, it tells of all the things he would say to her if he could.  "I can't talk yet, but when I do, I'll say thank you for helping to take care of me... for sharing your toys and making me laugh, and for helping me when I was learning to walk."  The little brother can't wait to be able to tell his big sister how much he loves it when she sings him songs, or that he is sorry about the time he tore the painting she brought home from school.  He'll let her know that when he grows up, he wants to be just like her, and he'll finally be able to say the one thing he wants to tell her most of all: "I love you."  The illustrations are darling, and I just love the different scenes and interactions between the two siblings throughout the book.  My favorite is the one of the brother and sister snuggling together in her bed while she reads him a story by flashlight.  The whole book seems to capture the relationship between my two little ones perfectly, which is why I think I love it so much.  My daughter is starting to be able to say some words, and my son loves asking her to repeat them as often as possible:  "Can you say Ma Ma?  Can you say Da Da?  Can you say Ba Ba?" (which is what he tries to get her to call him.)  I always feel so incredibly fortunate that my children absolutely adore each other, and I know that my daughter idolizes my son in every way.  There is no doubt in my mind that she wants to be just like him, but I know it can still sometimes be hard for my son to understand why my daughter does some of the things she does.  If you have or know a child who has recently become a big brother or sister,  read him or her this book, especially if they are having trouble adjusting to their new role as an older sibling.  It is a charming, sweet, and funny story about the love siblings have for one another, and is a wonderful reminder to all of the big brothers and sisters out there just how much they are looked-up-to, appreciated and loved.

Day 55: Everywhere Babies

A month or so ago, I featured Harriet Zierfert's Waiting for Baby in honor of my many friends who were pregnant at the time.  Well, those friends have now had their babies, including two dear friends of mine from college who welcomed their little ones into the world in the past two days (congratulations, Steffeys and Hicks!)  So now, rather than simply waiting for babies, there are babies everywhere!  Hooray!  Along with Waiting for Baby, Everywhere Babies was my son's favorite book before my daughter was born.  He was two and a half at the time, and we were desperately trying to get him used to the idea of becoming a big brother and having a little baby around the house.  He just fell in love with this book and still loves to read it even now that his little sister is almost ten months old.  (In fact, I just had to take a break from writing this to read it to him.)  Everywhere Babies is simply wonderful for children of all ages.  It describes all the things that babies do and the way they are loved by their families.  "Everyday, everywhere, babies are born," kissed, dressed, fed, rocked, and carried.  They make noise, play games, crawl, walk, and most importantly, are loved for "being so wonderful just as they are."  The lines have a lovely rhythmic flow to them as they describe the way babies grow throughout their first year, and Marla Frazee's illustrations do a fabulous job of depicting these wonderful events.  There are so many things I love about her pictures, from the way they show all kinds of different families to the accurate little details in her drawings that will make any parent smile.  (As an exhausted nursing mom, I particularly love the way she depicts the mom asleep in the rocking chair!  Marla Frazee must be a mother.)  This book would make a great gift for any child, particularly one who is about to or has recently become a big brother or sister.  Yay for babies everywhere!

Day 46: Someday

I've quickly come to the conclusion that my desire to feature wonderful mothering stories this week means it's time to stock up on my Kleenex supply.  If you've been following the blog from the beginning, you know by now that I cry easily when reading some stories, particularly if they are sad, happy, sappy, touching, or in any way emotional.  I am convinced that becoming a mother forever changes ones hormones, making such teary spells inevitable. (That's my excuse, at least.)  When I asked Facebook friends about their favorite stories to read as mothers, Katherine Schuknecht mentioned Alison McGhee's Someday, saying it was so beautiful, she wished she had written it for her own daughter.  I added it to my list, checked it out of the library today, and after just one read, couldn't agree more.   It is an amazingly touching story about the journey of parenthood and all the dreams we have for our children.  In fact, if I can make it through this post without tearing up, I'll be impressed.  Written by a mother to her daughter, Someday tells the story we will all live as parents; about the love we feel for our children from the day they are born, and our hopes that they will live full, complete lives.  It begins, "One day I counted your fingers and kissed each one," and soon enough, the beautiful child who was once a baby is all grown up with a child of her own.  "Sometimes, when you sleep, I watch you dream, and I dream too...  That someday you will dive into the cool, clear water of a lake... Someday your eyes will be filled with a joy so deep that they shine... Someday you will hear something so sad that you will fold up with sorrow..."  And here is where I really start to well up:  "Someday I will stand on this porch and watch your arms waving to me until I no longer see you."  Someday is beautiful, touching, and a must read for any mother, especially if she has a daughter.   I have already decided that this will be a perfect first birthday gift for my baby girl, and I'm tempted to order a copy for my own mom, as well... maybe even in time for Mother's Day.  Someday, maybe my mom and I will sit and read it with my daughter, and no doubt, smile and cry together.

Day 22: Waiting for Baby

I have a lot of friends who are pregnant right now, some of whom are anxiously awaiting the arrival of their first child, and others who already have a little one at home and are awaiting number two.  Two friends are "waiting for baby" any day now, and dear friends of mine just welcomed their son into the world yesterday.  (Congratulations Josh and Becca and big sister Sophie!)  It's serious baby mania, and it's wonderful!  As I've naturally been thinking a lot about these friends lately, I thought I would feature a book today that was one of my favorites when we were expecting our second child.  Going into my third trimester, I really wanted to find a great book to read with my son that would get him excited about becoming a big brother.  I was exceptionally nervous about how he would handle this, given that he went through a rather long phase of seeming to despise babies.  He was a little more than two at the time, and whenever he saw a baby anywhere or even a picture of one in a book, he would point at it and say, "No baby!  No baby!"  (For some reason, he would also say he wanted a girl but "no boy!"  Phew!)   I was thrilled, then, when my cousin sent us some of the books that had helped her eldest son get ready for becoming a big brother, too.  Waiting For Baby was by far the biggest hit, and we read it before bed every night.  It tells the story of Max, who knows his mommy is about to have a baby any day and can't wait to meet his new sibling.  Each day of the week, Max tries a new strategy to encourage the baby to come out, and each day, he is disappointed that "no baby came."  My son's favorite was the song he would play on his drum:  "Rum tum tum, baby come!  Rum tum tum, baby come!"  At week's end, of course, Max's little sister finally arrives and he gets to go to the hospital and meet her.  To me, this book was a perfect way to get my son excited about becoming a big brother and a wonderful teaching tool about what to expect.  We changed the title to "Waiting for Emma," and he loved to hear me explain how he would get to do the same thing as Max:  Grammy would come and stay the night with him while Daddy and I went to the hospital, and then he would get to come to the hospital to meet his baby sister!  I explained what things would be like at the hospital -- how I would be in a big bed and he would be able to sit on it with me and hold Emma -- and how after that we would bring Emma home with us.  We especially loved looking at the series of illustrations on the inside covers of the book, which show the things Max and his family do together before and after the baby is born.  If you or anyone you know is expecting #2 and looking for a great book to share with the big brother or sister-to-be, this is the one!  Oh, and it turns out I needn't have worried at all.  My son adores his baby sister more than anything in the world.