My 50lb. Baby

I guess she's not technically a baby anymore, right? Lucy is almost 16 months old already, but she'll always be the first baby we had. We certainly treat her like a child (creepily so), and she has taught us many valuable lessons about parenthood that Baby S is quite lucky we've learned already. I worry a lot about what will happen when the baby comes: will Lucy be a good big sister and protect her little brother? Will she be jealous? Maybe she'll just ignore him?

Lucy is quite attached to both of us, wants to be near us most of the time, still cries for our attention, and loves cuddling-- I'm not sure how she'll feel about sharing. When she was tiny, she used to sit in my lap ALL. THE. TIME. I carried her around most places (she will still only "come" when she feels like it), as she was learning to use the stairs, would get too tired to walk, and mostly because she was too cute not to carry around. Basically, we spoiled her rotten. But she's growing up and maybe part of that will make her ready to be a big sister. I like to think she'll be a guardian for our son, a playmate when he's ready, and that she'll be ok sharing our attention because she'll love him as much as she loves us.

I haven't been able to lift her since last summer, and she never wants to sit in my lap anymore. Until the other night. I was sitting on the floor, and she climbed right in and put her head on my shoulder (it's how she gives a hug). I made sure the Mr caught it on film quickly, since she never does this anymore, and it puts the same smile on my face to see these pictures of her all grown up last week as the picture of her in my lap the day we brought her home.