Oh baby!

Although there is really no "preparing" Drew for the arrival of the baby, I am doing what I think might make the transition a bit easier. When first discovering that I was pregnant, I began identifying skills I hoped Drew would obtain before June. For example, he is now able to walk up and down stairs unassisted (he holds the bars of the railing for support). He can use a spoon/fork to feed himself quite well and is amazing at cleaning up his toys after playing. He has learned to entertain himself for several minutes at a time; and ask for help instead of whining when he's frustrated. Way to go Drew! One last bit of "preparation" is to introduce a baby. In this case, our baby is my old Cabbage Patch doll from 1983. (Yes, I still have all my dolls...and they've been nicely preserved for my own children - what a dork, right?) This baby was unveiled last weekend and has since received much love from Drew. Drew is amazingly gentle with this doll, whom he calls "baby", and he showers it with hugs and kisses. When he's not loving the baby and doing nice, he ignores it. He hasn't thrown it to the floor or hurt it. He treats it so kindly! I try to make the association with the baby in my belly; Drew will nicely stroke my belly "baby" which melts my heart. At this point, I'm feeling hopeful that Drew will be gentle with the baby - or just ignore it. Both work for me! Drew sees lots of babies at music class and at Bellani; and he's always interested and gentle. Whether this confidence I feel is warrented or not doesn't really matter. It's nice to feel "prepared" for the baby...and it's nice to know that there is much kindness and love in my son for others.

(Above: Drew shows his affection for T.J.Bearytales!)