This evening I checked off the last thing on my to-do list. Wrapping presents. Why am I wrapping gifts, you ask? Good question. In my constant hunt for things to do while I'm up at 4am, I read somewhere that a toddler sometimes feels a bit left out when a newborn is brought home and people arrive with gifts for the little one, and nothing in tow for the eldest. Obviously the eldest has had his share of gift giving over the past two and a half years, so why would anyone think to bring a prezzie for them when it's a time to welcome a new baby into the family? Well, as the guilt slowly sets in that my attention will be halved when this new beaner arrives in a week and a bit, I wanted to avoid as many hurt feelings as possible. I'm not sure if this will work, but it's one small step for man, right?I made a trip to the local Dollarama (another fave of mine) to find some tiny gifts to give my toddler if the need arises. In my experience, I've found that Dollarama is one of the better "small gift" places out there. Especially when you have a little boy. They have a plethora of dinky cars, colouring books and puzzles, as well as loads and loads of anything Diego and Cars "The Movie".
So off I went to grab a handful of crap (essentially) and individually wrapped EACH ONE to hand out if the time comes. I got some Sesame Street cups (of the Elmo and Oscar variety), Lightning McQueen magnets, Diego stickers, dinky cars, farm machines, a recorder (which I'm sure I will instantly regret after 10 seconds of honking) and a bunch of other things. I figure even if I don't need them, they'll be good stocking stuffers at Christmas time.
My only issue, now, is feeling like I'm going a bit overboard with the whole thing...I realize that this is going to be a super difficult transition for my little guy. He's had the entire family's attention for a full 29 months and now, in one day, some little bugger is going to come along and steal ALL of the thunder. Not only that, but that little worm is going to come into his house, use all of his old stuff and be attached (at the boob) to his mother for the majority of a year. I can only imagine that a year in the life of a toddler is about 45 years to a normal human being.And how do most parents deal with the guilt of feeling like they're potentially abandoning their child? They buy their kids gifts OBVIOUSLY (presents = LOVE, no?) What a terrible habit I'm starting. Ugh. In addition to the small gifts that I've bought, the "new baby" has also purchased our son a bribe gift (I can hear me saying it now, "What a nice present your brother/sister bought you. You love the new baby, don't you???? Right???? Please? PLEASE!!!!!!")
We have now invested in a new sand and water table to set up in the backyard (as a hopeful distraction while he gets used to having this new human being around). For some reason I have a feeling this whole rigmarole wasn't done when my Nonna was popping out 7 kids. I'm sure she was like "Here's another brother. Deal with it"...(In Sicilian, of course). Done and done. All of her kids survived but was there jealousy in the house? Did the siblings actually like each other and get along? Good question...and thankfully I wasn't around to see those relationships unfold, but I can't imagine that a shiny new sand table was the key to washing away any sibling rivalry... Either way, this seems like it's a potential sign of what's to come. Will I do anything to keep the peace in this family? Or is it more a matter of trying to buy some extra time until my son can really understand the concept of the sibling "bond"... A mother can dream, right?
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