Lemme check whatever's inside that tiny mouth of yours.
All along, I thought I have prepared Thirdy for the arrival of his little sister. The day before I gave birth, he had been having fever for three days and his gums were bleeding. I brought him to his pediatrician and I was told that if the fever persisted, I should have his blood checked. His fever subsided the next day but my water also broke, so that meant leaving him for 3 days and 2 nights. It was the first time that he would sleep without Mama by his side and to be left with someone else for that long a time.
REGRESSION
I should have taken that fever and bleeding gums as a sign. I was not due for two more weeks, but I have read later that older siblings usually get sick as a coping mechanism of the new sibling's presence. Perhaps Thirdy felt that he will no longer be the apple of everyone's eyes sooner than expected that's why he got sick?
When he met his sister for the first time, he cried. I tried my best to still be the kind of Mama for him before Bambam came but that proved impossible. The sleepless nights alone could turn a mother into a zombie - a sensitive and irritable (ugly and smelly) zombie . His Dada had to take over in meeting his needs. Little accidents like wetting his pants became a common scenario. He would also cry in the middle of the night to look for me. During the first week after we brought Bambam home, I was losing more sleep because of this than because of the newborn's erratic feeding schedule. I was wondering in frustration whether my sleep and toilet training him had all gone to waste. Every time I would carry Bambam, he would also cry out to be carried. He refused to touch Bambam or have anything to do with her.
"That's my pillow you're using!"
"But you can have the dede. I'm done with the dede."
But on Bambam's third week, he started to loosen up. Now, when Bambam cries, I would tell him that I need to attend to her first. He would say, "Ok." He also agrees to have his picture taken with her, and he also now touches her with affection.
"Don't we just look good together?"
It's not all that rosy everyday yet. Thirdy is up to his toddler dramas anytime of the day and Bambam still keeps me awake all night. But I'm fine like a zombie. Sometimes, I can't wait for them to grow up. I do hope they'll grow up as best friends.
She ain't heavy, she's my sister
