I read something recently that said newborn babies are, for lack of a better term, kind of vegetable-like. And in one way, it's true -- after all, let's be honest, they don't really do all that much. On the other hand, I know from first-hand experience (viz., Jonah) that there's a little person in there who's eventually going to start to show herself.
Maybe one way to start to get a glimpse of that little person is to look at Hava's face -- she's quite an expressive little girl. I know the cynical might point out that at this stage of things her facial expressions, like most of the rest of her movements, are largely involuntary. But involuntary or not, they are pretty darn cute!
"What's it like having two?" That seems to be a popular question these days. There's a lot we could say in response -- certainly the second baby is a different experience than the first. They are different children with different temperaments, for starters. And I think for us -- maybe for all parents of multiples -- the experience of being parent to a baby is different the second time around. Speaking for myself, I find that I don't have the same sense of wonder this time around -- wonder, as in unbridled awe at the fact that we've bought another life into this world, coupled with that other sense of wonder, as in "I wonder what the #%$@* I've gotten myself into?" I don't mean that in a negative way, necessarily. The experience this time around is still wild and beautiful, but in a different, and sometimes more muted and subtle, way.
One obvious thing that's different, of course, is that there's another member of the family (i.e., Jonah) sharing in the experience. And watching Jonah react to Hava has been one of the more interesting parts of things so far. Jonah didn't really show much interest or awareness during the pregnancy. Surely he must have noticed something was different with Momma, but it wasn't something he really verbalized. However, as soon as they met in person, Jonah started to show an intense curiosity. _____________________________________
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"I want to see him!" (Or "I want to see it!" -- he doesn't quite have the gender thing down just yet...) "Where's Hava?" "Baby's crying." He's got a lot to say about her. Almost immediately he wanted to hold her, which is touching and also a little scary (think: fragile newborn + uncoordinated toddler), although as you can see from the picture, it's pretty cute too! And more recently he's also started to want to cuddle and kiss her and tells her "I love you." I'm sure there's sibling rivalry to come somewhere along the way -- certainly once she gets mobile and starts getting into his stuff -- but so far the experience has been relatively placid.
There've also been some interesting and funny experiences around nursing. As you might imagine, nursing is a powerful thing for little ones, and we were curious and concerned about how Jonah would react to Ruth Ann nursing the new baby. At the suggestion of a nurse at the hospital, we decided not to deny him entirely if he asked to nurse too, but we instead told him he could have a taste on a spoon. So for the first few nursing sessions, Jonah would hurtle toward the kitchen full speed shouting "get a spoon!" -- and then queue up for his taste. It didn't take long, however, before he lost overt interest and no longer pined for a taste (by spoon or otherwise). That said, we could see some jealousy lurking just under the surface, as he'd act out more when Hava was nursing, bouncing on the bed or couch or loudly throwing a ball around the room.
Then there was the funny stuff. For starters, as an extension of Jonah's gender confusion, he often suggests that I try to nurse the crying baby ("Daddy give her 'bubu'," he insists, using his word for nursing.). And more recently, he's decided to get in on the act himself. So a few times now, when Hava is nursing, he goes and gets his baby doll, then pulls up his shirt and "nurses" the doll right along side Ruth Ann. A few times, he's even burped his doll, then insisted on putting her in a diaper (Hava's size, not Jonah's, to boot). And just to make sure the doll doesn't get uncomfortable, he also makes sure to apply diaper cream as well.
The doll smells like Desitin, but we're too amused to care. And if I thought about it hard enough, I'd have to admidt that the whole affair tickles my sense of wonder too.
