A few of you have asked how the kids are doing since Parker’s arrival. Well, I’m going to answer you. In one word? Great. There have been little to no jealousy issues and he has, quite simply, become part of the family. Sometimes, they’ll come home and their first words are, “Where’s Parker? Can I hold him?” William loves to change his diaper. If Parker is in the swing while I’m cooking dinner and starts to get sick of it, William will happily sit on the floor in front of him and coo at him which is just the ticket to getting him to chill out just long enough for me to finish making the meal. Parker responds to happy faces with an equally happy smile and, thus far, is totally content having someone, anyone, hold him (this is usually me, but I’m getting better at letting other people hold him since, at twelve months, a kicking, screaming baby begging for his Mom when someone else picks him up isn’t the cutest thing). Lindsey is probably a little less interested in Parker, but not in a passive-aggressive way. She’s just not majorly into babies, any babies. William has always been more of the sensitive, snuggler type. She still loves to read to him and, last night while I read to her before bed, she asked to hold Parker on her lap. She will exclaim, “He’s the cutest thing ever!” and, “I love him so much!” so she’s definitely doting in her own way. I know you don’t see much of Jordan on the blog and I worry that some of you think, “Evil stepmom! Doesn’t she love Jordan?!” Yes, I do love Jordan. But when I try to take a picture of him, getting him to smile for it is like pulling teeth. I told him the other day, “You’re going to look back and be like, ‘Where are the pictures of me when I was fifteen through eighteen?'” And I’ll tell him, “You didn’t smile for them and you tried to hide your face, so it’s like three years of your life didn’t exist… in pictures, anyway.” So, you’ll just have to take my word for it: Jordan is great with Parker too. He’s definitely into computer games (Damn those computer games. Damn them!) and television more than he is into anything, but he does like the little guy and says so. And Nathaniel! Well, he’s in college now, but we still see him from time to time and, like Jordan, he’s got other things on his mind: school, sleep, food, sleep, food. But he’s nothing but sweet to him when they do interact (I mean, how else can one be with a little babe anyway?!). A newborn has a way of chilling out the house a bit. There’s no better reason for them to stop fighting with each other than saying, “Not around Parker. He shouldn’t have to listen to this.” It almost always works (for how long?! Yet to be determined.). So anyway, I speak for Steve when I say we’re really thrilled with how easily this transition has gone. With virtually no trouble at all, Parker’s life has shifted into ours and we are all pretty happy to have him.
If you were to ask how the kids get along with each other? Well, that’s a different story altogether. This morning I sat on the stairs and listened to William and Lindsey’s conversations before they left for school. I was about to go down but stopped halfway when I heard the energy I’d be walking into.
W: “Your name is dumb.”
L: “That’s like saying our parents are dumb for naming me that.”
L: “I feel bad for you that you have to wear that jacket.”
W: “I feel bad for you that you have that face.”
W, takes L’s Halloween candy: “I’m putting this away because you didn’t ask Mom and Dad.”
L: “Give it back to me!”
W: “You’re annoying.”
So on and so forth. Tell me mine aren’t the only ones that are evil to each other???
And Jordan most definitely tangles with them too… he had just already left for school this morning.
Love this post! I've been wondering how the transition went. I'm a little jealous. My boys haven't had any jealously issues with their new sister, but they're still not old enough to hold or help me with her too much like your other kids can. My older son is much more into the baby than my younger. I think like you said it's personality. My younger one tends to be a loner. So out of his siblings, who does Parker look the most like? 🙂
@marjorie, well, lindsey definitely looks most like steve, but somehow i don't think she and parker look alike. go figure.
Those pictures just made my heart melt. Seriously.
My sister and I were horrible to each other until a few years ago. We are 6 years apart so I think that had something to do with it. We just couldn't relate to each other. Luckily now we are good friends. But I'm pretty sure we definitely used to sound like William and Lindsay 🙂
Totally sounds like my conversations with my brother growing up. Tell William that Lindsey is NOT a stupid name!
Those conversations made me laugh out loud, especially the face one. HA!! 😛
And it sounds like you're lucky, in a way, to have some help from the other kiddos. I'm sure it's extra stressful in ways too, though!
sounds like my brother and i…well…yesterday.
glad the transition's going so well, had my fingers crossed that there wouldn't be any problems!
And truth be told, I'm from a family with two kids from my mom/other guy and me and my sister from my mom/dad. My older brother and sister (although technically half siblings) have always been seen as my REAL siblings and my dad had always treated them like his own. You would never know which kids weren't technically his. And I love that our family was always complete, regardless of where/who we came from.
i hope the same for your kids, now and in the future 🙂
Haha! Overhearing kid's conversations is hilarious.
And oh my goodness that last photo of Parker! He looks just like Steve!
I'm gonna bet you're tired of hearing who Parker looks like, but I have just one more! In his little green vest…just like Quinn in the eyes. Just like him.
Also, I love how much William loves little P. I need a William to give me five more minutes with dinner. Seriously.
@nicole, thanks, friend! i'm glad you guys all meshed so well.
@elizabeth, quinn, eh? i think he's a cutie so i'm okay with that 🙂
I know I will eat my words over and over and over, but I am going to pee myself the first time one of my kids tells the other that their name is dumb. Mock me, I deserve it, but I remember being that petty with my siblings and all these back in time moments make me feel like I’m living in real life. I still get a kick out of tripping over one of Phin’s toys because a real person left that there. My real, little person. I’m a schmuck.
I’m glad to hear those kids are all loving on Parker, but like you said, how could they not?
LOL, I know it is probably so annoying when they fight but the one about feeling bad for having that face and the parents naming you thing is hilarious to me.
You are so far from being an evil stepmom. I had some first hand experience and what I saw was straight up love. So boo ya if there are any haters out there. Bridget is awesome to her kids. ALL of her kids.
is great to have grown up siblings to help :).
Such a great post! Your kids are so cute, and parker is getting so big. I've only been following your blog for a couple of weeks but from your pictures he has grown already!
Hope you have a great weekend!
Lauren
http://laurensweetnothings.blogspot.com/
hey pretty mama!
you quite possibly have the cutest baby i've ever seen.
and i've never said a proper congratulations even though I've been following all along!
so happy for you guys and new little smiling joyboy.
anyway, i have a new little baby blog (2 days old haha), had to switch, so if you want to check it out, it's here. http://www.arounditgoesvintage.blogspot.com.
lots of love, katherine
I think it is great that you capture the good, the bad, and the ugly. For one, we all get a kick out of stupid things kids say. And even better, when William and Lindsey are older {and gasp, have kids of their own, or maybe even before that} they will get a kick out of these mini snippets of conversation too!
haha i love the face comment too. siblings are brutal to each other, but it's all in love. or at least it was/is with me and my brother and sister. i feel like siblings are the best thing in the world. parker is super lucky.
and so happy for you that the transition has gone smoothly and your old babies love your new one. that must take a huge worry off your shoulders.
yeah, sounds like my brother and i growing up. for some reason i could always make him cry by singing, "'cause brian had to die, nah nah nah!" to the tune of that dixie chicks song "earl had to die." how pathetic is that?! our poor mother!
hahaha that morning conversation made me laugh out loud. I never had siblings but I sure watched my friends grow up having ridiculous conversations like that! Have you seen those mom "one line a day" books or "funny things my kids say" books? they sell them at barnes and noble or on amazon and it's such a good way to write down the ridiculous things your kids say! i have one for the boy i nanny for and i crack up every time!
This sibling exchange is hilarious and I'm guessing the "Parker shouldn't have to hear this" will all change when he starts chiming in. Hard to imagine huh?
xo
chanel
Thanks so much for sharing that! I really did enjoy reading the update!
~em
talesforkarina.blogspot.com
Thank you for sharing, I was really curious about this 🙂
I am so happy it's all going so well!
haha. william's response to the jacket comment…a man after my own heart.
Such a sweet post. In my experience (not with having a baby, haven't done that yet), it's not always easy to be able to take a step back & look at the big picture, in terms of balancing multiple perspectives (baby, siblings, family, friends, your own, etc). But clearly not for you, you seem very aware of how one thing can affect another. 🙂
– elz
Just joined your blog and love hearing about your sweet family! Glad that things are going so good with the siblings! That's always a hot topic when a little one comes along!
And you asked about siblings being evil to each other? I have a 3 1/2 year old who is downright mean to his little sissy sometimes 🙁 I was hoping that he'd outgrow this but apparently it's something inherent that I will be listening to for the next several years!
They're all such a sweet combo!
For some reason I was really surprised that Lindsey isn't all that interested in him, I don't know why I assumed she would be the most, I think it's probably from that super sweet post where she's holding him and tearing up.
awww I love love loved that photo.
Either way they're all adorable! They're so lucky to have so many sibilings! :o)
The big kids sound sooo cute with him!
It's a little like my teen and the preschooler. Not too sure how the preschooler and newborn will be with each other though. Hmm.
p.s Lindsey was so right on that first point 😉
this is such sweetness.
and i love that the kids are true to their feelings… some people gush over babies, some don't… and i love that they're just who they are and love him how they love him…
xx
I just found your blog through ohdeardrea! I think your step son and daughter look like you. Like the way a baby boy in an orphanage in Jamaica began to look like me after I was his house-mother for two months while I poured as much of my life into him as I could while he was slowly dying awaiting the surgery that would save his life. (It wasn't a traumatic surgery needed, but he was starving to death because of the time it took for the hospital to finally decide on and perform surgery.) People were convinced he was mine. The staff in the orphanage said he looked like me too, and they knew I didn't birth him. I love how that happens.
(Now he is almost 4 and when I get photo updates, sometimes my breath gets caught in my throat right along with my heart because he still reminds me of me.) I just read a post you wrote about loving your new baby and the 4 that became yours…so I thought it was pretty amazing when I thought these two look like you in these pictures.