One of my good friends had a little girl recently and Leah has become totally enamored with her sweet babe, Katelyn. They came to visit us once and we went to visit them once and then all of a sudden one of Leah’s babies was named Katelyn. We’ve never named any of her babies or stuffed animals just calling them baby or dog or whatever (boring I know) except for those with given names like Elmo.
I didn’t realize what an impact the visits had on Leah. She was excited to see a little baby but was also excited to check out all of her baby toys and play with her own as well. Now she walks around with her ‘Katelyn’ patting her on the back saying “I know Katelyn, I know” and “poor Katelyn, poor Katelyn”. She also thinks it funny sometimes to hold her upside down. Leah can be so maternal and yet she has so far to go.
Today we were able to squeeze in another visit before our lives get much busier with full time daycare. Leah was so excited to give Katelyn her dress that she watched me make. Katelyn even modeled it for us. I got to hold Katelyn for quite awhile after she was fed. It reminded me of when Leah was a babe. First we tried to get a few good burps, then changed a poopy diaper that didn’t make me wince before doing the sway dance while shushing and patting her back to keep her happy.
Once she was a bit calmer, I let Leah hold Katelyn. Leah was so excited. Unfortunately Katelyn did not share her sentiments and was wondering why the sway dance, shushing and patting had stopped. So we alternated. I got Katelyn calm and settled then I would let Leah hold her for a few seconds until she got upset again then repeat. We only tried that a few times and then diverted Leah’s attention to giving her kisses on the head instead. Then they both were happy.