Holding babies

Hello world, I hope you all are enjoying a relaxing Thursday evening. My kids actually were all asleep by 8:20! This has not happened in a LONG time!! Maybe they have been in bed, not not asleep! It felt totally bizarre! They need some extra sleep, so I am hopeful this will help.  In all my free time tonight, eating some guacamole and watching a cheesy Christmas movie, I was looking through photos on my phone. Let me tell you, there are a lot, an almost embarrassing amount 😬
Well, so many of my favorite pictures, especially lately, are of my kiddos holding Evelyn.
It got me thinking, do you let your “babies” hold your baby?! Owen is almost 10, and I swear he thinks Evelyn is his, he just loves to take care of her and spends most of his time holding her.  Before she was even born, he was asking if he could hold her while he slept, he just wanted to be close to her constantly. Obviously I am not gonna let my 10 year old co-sleep with his newborn sister, but we do give him small amounts of that special time. Tonight as I held another child at bedtime, he snuggled his sweet Evelyn and she fell asleep on his chest, and he was holding her hand, while supporting her completely. The thought of him being a father holding his own babies to sleep, is not really a road I want to go down yet, but he for sure has the makings of an excellent father 😭😭

Anyways! Do you get nervous when your other kids hold the baby? I am usually pretty relaxed with it. If I know they won’t want to hold the baby long, I will just sit with them, and help support them hold the baby. Posey usually doesn’t last long, she is still a little thing herself and her arms get tired. Thanks to Shane reminding me that once Evelyn is a bit bigger, in a short time from now, the kids won’t be physically able to hold her! 😭 Their time is limited, just like mine and Shane’s. It’s a precious thing. So I have been trying to take photos of them holding her or even a video.
Edison loves to hold his Evelyn😍 He will continually ask to hold “his baby”.  Being 2 though, he is not often or for more then 2 seconds left along in the same room as her. You will thank us for this Evelyn 😂


I love how the kids know how great having a baby is, at the ages of 2,4,6,8 and 9, they know in their hearts how special babies are and how you must cherish the time. Some gems they have said to me this week about our Evelyn are:
- “momma, you have the cutest baby ever”
- “why is Evelyn even cuter than Posey and Ellanore as babies ?!”
- “Evelyn looks bigger today”
- “ I just love her so much!”
- “momma Evelyn is holding my fingers “

And most of these moments have been while holding her
🥰

Let me just end by saying, let your kids hold their siblings. In any capacity you’re ok with, and they can manage. I love that now Owen is old enough and confident enough, to even gently “dance” or “bounce” with Evelyn to help calm her when fuzzy, or that the boys are capable of playing video games, read or even color, while she is in their arms. Today Owen was drawing and then talking about his drawing to a curious Edison and a good friend, it’s just second nature🥰
I will always  love seeing the girls hold her close, like she is their real life baby doll. Edison giving sloppy kisses and gentle pats on her back, while I hold him holding her, will always be a tender memory.
It’s not always easy or convenient, but I love that my kids want to and enjoy, holding their baby :)
Goodnight all , sweet sweet dreams!