VT Mamateurs

Don’t even get me started on the things that have been keeping me awake at night: I realize they are totally irrational, inconsequential, and certainly NOT worth losing sleep over, and yet I can’t seem to get them out of my head. (BTW- as I write this post, it is 2:00 a.m. and I am suffering from a bout of the aforementioned pregnancy-induced insomnia.) For instance, the other night I was literally lying awake for HOURS weighing the pros and cons of buying all new bottles for our new baby. (On one hand- we already have LOTS of Dr. Brown’s bottles On the other hand, have you ever washed a Dr. Brown’s bottle? Could a bottle possibly have any more parts?!)

One of the more recent “dilemmas” that has been plaguing me at night is what to get Ben as a “big brother gift” from his little sibling. While reading up on some ways to ease your young child into their new sibling, one of the suggestions I came across was to have a gift for each of your children to give each other for their introduction at the hospital (or where ever it may be). Ben, being the thoughtful little dude that he is, bought a baby hat and blanket (we LOVE Etsy!) for his soon-to-be lil’ bro or sis, but now I am stuck on what our newest addition will give to his or her big brother. Of course, I want it be something that 1. will fit in a hospital bag and 2. has some sort of sentimental value and he will have for a while (read: no Elmo toys or other toys he will grow sick of in 2 days). It doesn’t have to be something expensive or big, but just a little something to make my big boy feel special

I remember when my littlest sister was born, and my father took us to a toy store on the way to the hospital to meet her. My other sisters and I got to pick out her first teddy bear (Cinnamon), and then we were all allowed to pick out a small stuffed animal for ourselves. (This was a HUGE treat for us; with 5 kids in the family, new toys were for Birthdays, Christmas, and good report cards only!) 25 years later, I still have my little stuffed white kitty (or whatever the critter is- I always assumed it was a kitty, but only recently have realized I have no idea what kind of animal it is). In fact, it’s sitting on a shelf in the nursery, and every time I see I think of that outing with my father and my sisters. The kitty critter probably cost all of $2 (actually, adjusting for inflation- more like $1), but at the time it was a big deal…and of course, it’s worth much more than that to me now!

I can think of a million ideas for a sibling gift for if Ben were a girl: a little piece of jewelry, a special doll, etc., but for some reason I am having a harder time coming up with an appropriate gift for a little boy. Any thoughts? Has anyone else partaken in this tradition? Any other advice/ideas for introducing new siblings? I am desperate to hear your ideas/have sleep return to me…so please SHARE!

-J