The number one question that people ask me post-Weston is “How is Will adjusting?” or “How does Will like him?” or some form of that. I think that this photo explains it all…
Will is completely in love. I can not explain how this happened or if it was something I did during our ‘baby-prep’ or if it comes from somewhere inside Will or if it has to do with how chill and happy Weston is, but the big brother is happily enjoying his little brother. I’ll totally take the credit though 🙂
So baby-prep? yup. sounds weird but it happened. We had talked daily about how Weston would come out of my belly and when he did I would have to give him ‘Mommy’s milk’ and we would have to change his diaper and be very very gentle. We explained that babies couldn’t drink juice or play cars right away or hide under blankets. And that they get booboos very easily and need lots of sweet words especially when they cry. We practiced with stuffed animals…everything from how to hold them to how to burp them to how to rub their bellies.
Will is a very normal two year old – one that likes to wrestle and is still learning boundaries…so to see him tone down that agressiveness and adopt a gentle tenderness with Weston, well, it makes my heart fill up.
Weston is a very very different baby too…so easy to nurse and sleeps like a champ at night (for the past week, I have gotten a five hour stretch at night followed by a three hour one…which any mom of a newborn knows is awesome!) so I think having a well-rested mommy helps keep Will happy too.
Will asks constantly if Weston can do certain things with him…like take a bath or play cars or go to the playground. We keep explaining that one day Weston will grow bigger and play with him but not today. I think it’s still adorable that he keeps asking though.
Also, for the past few weeks we have arranged for ‘specials’…grandparents coming to visit and play, a cookie making day, a new christmas movie, new twinkle lights in his teepee…any little thing that we could think of that could make him feel like Weston isn’t getting all the attention.
We also did the gift from Weston to Will…but to be perfectly honest, he really didn’t care that much. I think Will responds really well to words of affection…so when he kisses Weston, we make sure to praise him…and when he drags my old guitar out of the closet and plays and sings to Weston in the pack n play, we tell him that he has a beautiful voice and we are proud of him and Weston loved the songs.
In the end, I know it really doesn’t come down to anything that any of us did…Will has a tender love in his heart toward Weston not because of a stuffed animal or because he got cookies or because we love on him….I truly believe that God allowed for this adjustment to happen quickly and easily and that if it didn’t happen so seamlessly, then it would be just a challenge that we would face that would add to our parenting journey. And there is no guarantee that it won’t change with time. I’m just thankful….extremely thankful….I’m oozing thankfulness from every pore in my body, because I know that this is the best of the best…watching your two littles love one another is the best Christmas gift ever.
The picture of Will holding Weston in the Boppy absolutely melts my heart! I mean, Will has always been a cutie and looks happy in the pictures you’ve posted in the past but the look of PRIDE he has on that face of his is absolutely wonderful! It’s like his face is bursting to say “I’m a big brother and I’m going to take such good care of the baby because I love him so much!” It is the sweetest look I’ve ever seen on a child’s face. Congrats again and I’m so glad it’s been a smooth transition!
Doesn’t get much better than that 🙂 I’m so happy for you and your awesome family…congrats! Also, can I just say how much I love the dimple-inducing super grins that Will gives? Whatta stud.
Great big brothers turn in to great daddies one day. 🙂
Those are beautiful pictures to document these precious days! I definitely think all of your prep work contributed to the smooth adjustment! When we were preparing for our 2nd I was SO worried that my 3 year old daughter would be jealous not being the only center of our lives anymore. We were happily surprised when there really wasn’t any jealousy and she handled it beautifully. Now we’re expecting a surprise 3rd and I’m having the same concerns about our second! If we make it to the due date she’ll have just turned 2 which means that she won’t understand what’s about to happen nearly as well as our first daughter did when she was born. All we can do is hope for the best and be prepared to deal with whatever happens!
So beautiful Katie! Love seeing your boys together! Will sounds like he’s being an incredible big brother to Weston. So happy this is the case, and that you guys are enjoying this time. Of course, like you said, if it was any different, you would just deal with it and add it as a valuable chapter in your journey. That said, I’m very happy things are going the way they are. What a blessing!!
I just had a baby boy in June and we are surprisingly pregnant again! I am kind of hoping it is a boy because I think they will be the best of friends. I am not sure if I can really prepare Beck very well because he will have just turned one when the new baby comes. Yikes! I am glad that your boys are already buds!
oh, i love it! will looks like he is just the proudest big brother ever! so adorable. glad you’re having a wonderful opportunity to soak up all the love they have. =)
Having three kids I know exactly what you are talking about. It always made my heart sing to see my older children adjust to a new sibling, and not just adjust but to show so much love and affection towards them. GOD IS GOOD ALWAYS!!!!! Also I just cant get over how cute Will and Weston are and how much they resemble each other.
Awww, it’s so sweet to see how quickly Will adjusted! You look fantastic, too!
Precious photos! Pleased for your little family.
Nawwwwwww Will is such a good boy. I think he just has lots of love to give his baby brother. 🙂
It will be exciting to see Will and him play when Weston is toddling around… not that im wishing time flies… enjoy his babyness… ♥♥
So sweet Katie. My son is 11 years older than my daughter. I wanted him to love her like this, but was afraid that he wouldn’t be to interested because of the age gap. I got my wish because he absolutely adored her (and still does!). They are 17 and 6 now and she is his little princess and he is her world. It warms my heart so much to see him carry her on his shoulders just as much as it did when he held her for the first time and gently kissed her on the forehead and whispered he loved her in her ear. So happy for you right now.
I read this and got all teary! I’m so happy for you and yours – what a blessing.
Your sweet baby boy was worth the wait! God’s timing is so perfect. It melts my heart to see the love between Will and Weston! Thanks for sharing!
My first, very un-educated, guess was that Will also has Cole as a role model for how to be with a younger relative & could have learned the patience & tenderness from him(?/!)
What an amazing blessing indeed! Such precious pictures too! So glad that Weston is letting Mommy and Daddy get some rest! Having some sleep makes lots of things seem doable.
Hi Katie. I am a new reader. I stumbled across your blog via younghouselove. I just wanted to say I enjoy reading your posts and you have such a beautiful family. I hope you never forget how blessed you are!
This is so sweet! I’m glad Will is so gentle and loving with Weston. I also have a 2 year old and a newborn. It is such an amazing thing seeing how much my oldest loves and cares for her little sister. Enjoy your little blessings!.
Oh goodness, this post about made me tear up! How sweet. I definitely think you can take some of the credit as it sounds like you are working wonders to help Weston feel like an awesome big brother. Great pictures too!
So precious! I can see in these photos that Weston looks like Daddy! You may each have a mini-me now! I’m pregnant with Boy #2 – they will be 18 months apart. (Eek.) I’m praying that my second is a better nurser, etc. You give me hope! Haha. 😉 Your boys are both precious.
This just turns my heart into melted buttah….so precious.
I knew he would be such an amazing big brother 🙂
Brother’s have an unexplainable magical bond. 😉 Congratulations.
On another note… where is that wicker stool from? Thanks!
Those pictures are priceless, Katie. What an enormous blessing for you to not just have a relatively easy baby but that your first would be so in love.
Our second is due in April and we are doing the same kind of prep work.
You are doing a great job keeping up with blogging while having two little ones. 🙂
These pictures just melt my heart!
Oh geez. I have dust in my eye. In both of them. So dusty in here… yup…
Katie, I am so happy for the bond your boys are building together. You gave them a very special gift … each other. Unlike parents or spouses, siblings will have each other their whole lives – and that can never be replaced.
When my first two were really little, I couldn’t picture them having a relationship and having things to discuss. Imagine Will and Weston talking to each other someday about how Mom paints everything she can get her hands on, developing a plan to wrestle Dad to the ground, and is Clara totally hot or what? I love it.
Glad your sweet days at home are just so delicious! Congratulations!
Goodness gracious you’re bringing tears to my eyes. I’m so glad this transistion is going so well for you. Best wishes to you and your beautiful family 🙂
I think you’re selling yourself a bit short, Katie. Sounds like you did all the right things to help ease Will’s transition into being a big brother. Certainly, God plays a hand in all we do, but he doesn’t just do it all for us.
There is a great book we got for our oldest on when his little brother will be able to play with him. I’ll have to look it up and post a link for you. Our big guy referred to it all the time and really helped him understand the concept of all he can do and all that his little brother will have to learn to do.
Lastly, glad little Weston is giving you an easier time in the sleeping and eating department! Sleep for mama definitely makes the transition easier for all. Keep posting those precious pictures!
My boys are the same distance in age apart as yours – but are now ages 6 and 8 – and they are the best of friends. I melt when they want to do sleepovers in each others bedrooms or I find them snuggled together watching cartoons on a Saturday morning. Enjoy them xoxo
Hi, I’m 11 weeks preg with a 3yr old , so of course this post was enough to get me crying! You truly are blessed! What a beautiful family. I strongly Believe your prep work is what made the the difference, good job mama. Congratulations!
I love this. It appears to me that Will’s love for Weston helps you love both boys even more, especially Will. My daughter is 3 and we are trying to get pregnant and she loves babies, but I don’t know how she’ll actually do when it happens. If only ever big sibling can learn from Will! 🙂
LOL! Ok, so this is OFFICIALLY the cutest blog post I’ve ever come across! That’s proof that humans are inherently good and society ruins us. 😀
Pure Sweetness!!
I have two sons, about the same age difference as your boys. This reminds me so much of them when my youngest was born. They are now teenagers, and they are still just as close. Enjoy every minute.
It is such a blessing! And it gets better if you have more. I love seeing my oldest and how he is such a friend with his next in line brother (only 2 1/2 years apart, and they do EVERYTHING together), and then how he dotes on the younger two (a bit of a bigger age gap). And he has a new baby cousin he can’t wait to see because he “just loves babies!” Maybe its a first born thing? 🙂
Weston looks so much like Jeremy it’s crazy! He and Will definitely look like brothers, but I never saw as strong a resemblance in Will’s baby photos! Guess that means you’re going to have your hands full of handsome fellas!
Aww. So sweet. My three year old really surprised me when #3 arrived. He’s such a mamas boy and I was worried her be out out. But he just adores his little brother, from the get to. He is always asking to kiss baby Ben, if I lay Ben down somewhere he wants to lay with him. It’s very cute. And after three months he’s only once told me to put Ben down so he could have mummy cuddles. Super sweet seeing how he loves his little brother. –
Umm…seriously my heart is a puddle right now. Those pictures completely melted my heart! What sweet boys you have.
The last paragraph and the pictures say it all. I think your prep was special and all that you discussed and did with him added to it, but God deserves the glory of giving your precious Will a tender heart, as you said. And Weston is a beautiful baby and another gift from Him. You are indeed blessed! Does it get much better than this? … Btw, gotta ask, how’s the kitchen coming along?
it’s so, so true. there is nothing as sweet as watching your children love on one another. it really makes me understand why that is the #1 commandment.
How wonderful! I think I see it now — Will looks more like you, and Weston definitely favors Jeremy. I’ve found that (most of the time) the first-born looks more like the opposite-sex parent. Have you noticed this? It’s be an interesting study anyway…
Err, I meant to say, *It’d* be an interesting study anyway… I’m 29 weeks pregnant and my brain has practically turned to mush. 🙂
This is super sweet and gives me hope for my future 2nd baby and the current joy in my life.
what precious gifts! i’m so thrilled for you that weston is an easier baby and that you’re getting sleep and having no major struggles with nursing (that went better for me with our second too…maybe because i had a clue that time around!) i think weston looks just like jer in the pic of him on the bobby w/ will holding him. i’m so glad that will is loving him too! so fun! we have 2 kids also (daughter, then a son) and she was always tender with him, but now that they are 4 and 2 they have SUCH a riot together. it’s such a blessing to see them enjoy eachother so much…i look forward to that for you too!
The pictures are just great! Our oldest is the same…very sweet and tender (except when she gets hit in the face by flailing baby hands 🙂 ) and I just pray that we can continue to encourage that relationship as the girls grow…they just grow up so much, so quickly. Many Blessings to you all this Christmas!!
Love this post. Love it. Watching my kids be kind toward one another is one of the greatest joys.
I have a two year old daughter (soon to be 3 in a month an a half) and had my second daughter a little over 2 months ago and I was so nervous about how my oldest daughter would adjust and if she would be too rough or not like her sister. We also did “baby prep” for her and talked to her about where her sister is going to come from and how we need to be gentle and then we got her a book all about becoming a big sister to read to her.
I was so pleasantly surprised when the first thing she did when she came in to see her new sister was totally ignore the present (and that girl LOVES unwrapping presents) and came straight to her sister and asked to hold her. Then the first time she held her baby started crying and she just gentle started rocking her and singing “rock-a-bye baby”. Totally melted my heart.
She never shows an ounce of jealousy to her baby sister and is always such a huge help. She even tries to insist that she tries to breast feed her because she “has milk too!”
I’m so glad to hear that things are going equally as well for you and your new little one!
yay!! i have been waiting for this post! so happy for you! you look happy and beautiful!
Maybe Will’s big-brotherly instincts come from sweet Cole (in addition to all your work with him pre-baby). Him looking up to Cole might want to make him act so sweet to little Weston – who knows what kids think ?! 🙂
Congrats on having such a wonderful little family. Enjoy every minute, cause as you know – they grow up fast!
Beautiful!
With a 2-year old at home and one due in 2 weeks, I appreciate this and only hope our transition is similar. So happy for you!
Are you going to use the cloth diapers with Weston? And are you still using them with Will?
I love this. That Will is just amazing for being such a good big brother to Weston. So glad things are going good for ALL of you!
Long time listener, first time caller.
I LOVE this. I have two little girls – now 1 & 5 and I feel/felt exactly the same way. I kept hearing all kinds of stories, how our oldest would rebel. How she wouldn’t be gentle. She could say “bring her back.” Whatever it was, I always feared they wouldn’t love each other in a way … that they do. That the other shoe would drop. 1 and a half years – no shoe to be found. And I don’t know what did it either, was there anything we did to prepare her better, or just the kindness & love in her soul. The beauty of it all? Just gets better. That’s what “they all say” for “everything” – but you’ll see.
So sweet, Katie! You are very, very blessed!
Oh Katie, I’m so, so happy for you and your growing family – sending hugs to all of you!
I’m undecided. We stopped using them with Will when we realized that we were only doing one load a week…and the diapers were causing more other laundry than we wanted to do (the disposables just hold more)…
xo – kb
It’s an old gift from Target.
xo – kb
This is so lovely. My first, our daughter, is not a touchy feely type of person and never really wanted to cuddle with us right from when she was a baby but, when her little brother was born, all of her affection came out for him. She kissed and cuddled and touched him until it was almost a problem actually! I love that he brought that out in her. Still to this day they hug and love on each other (they are 10 and 7 now) a lot – well, when they aren’t fighting anyway! ha ha.
Oh Katie, in tears here looking through your photos and reading the article… That might be due to the fact that I’m 6 weeks pregnant and have a 14 month old baby girl and I’ve got some hope it’ll all go fine now!! Big hugs to all of you…
Hi Katie,
Just curious on how the day goes when it’s just you and kids during the day? What things do you have Will do when say you are nursing? Though I guess I should ask how long baby nurses for? My own 10 pounder was born 2 days before Weston and maybe it’s the age difference but distracting my 4 year old daughter while nursing/burping for 50 min is sometimes a challenge. So I like to ask for suggestions if you have time to share them. Thanks so much! P.s. how is nursing going for you?
Love this! Merry Christmas to you 🙂
Beautiful! You’re a good momma.
those pictures!! OMG. What a sweetheart Will is!!!
I wish my son had been as sweet when my daughter came home. he was not a fan of her crying and would ask if we could put her away when she started. (sometimes i asked the same thing. LOL) luckily, as she got bigger and could do more he started to like her more. Now they are 4 and almost 2, seeing them chase each other around and laugh and play is the greatest gift ever.
This post warms my heart. And makes me want a kid! You just seem like the best mom ever.
Happy Holidays 🙂
oh goodness, katie. I just read this on my break at work and I’m tearing up at my desk. Hopefully no one sees me….
Praising God with you!
So sweet! One of the first things my then 21 month old son did when meeting his newborn sister was give her an unprompted kiss. Eight months later he still gives her kisses and hugs all the time (even when she is trying to crawl away)! I hope Will continues on his path of sweetness and Weston takes the kisses and hugs well.
Yes, you have the most precious Christmas gifts of all! I think your prepping probably really helped more than you realize. Your photos are just precious!
Absolutely precious. Their interactions must be so fun to document 🙂
Bless your Heart! I see a lot of your hubby in the newest little Bower. The pic with you and your boys is just so precious. Happy Holidays to you and yours 🙂
They are so precious! I could just eat them!! I’m so happy for y’all that Will is doing such a great job as a big brother!
Haha, at our house we call this phenomenon “Sistren” because my sister and I are very close. For your boys, we would call it “Brethren” because it’s closer/better than just siblings.
Oh, Katie! This post just warmed my heart and brought tears to my eyes. You did such a beautiful job at capturing the tenderness between the two brothers. Blessings to you all!
Ohhh, I love this post. It makes my heart go pitter-patter. So glad Will is adjusting great, he looks like an awesome big brother!
Aw how sweet!
How are you feeling? My baby is now 8 weeks old and he also was a 10 pounder (10.4) and he wasn’t too nice on my bod! After about 2 weeks, things started to feel better though.
Hope you’re recuperating nicely!
Nicole
That is SO sweet! My husband and I are far from ready for a second child, but I can’t wait for sibling love like this.
You’re amazing for keeping up with blogging every day while bringing up a brand new baby boy. I’m glad that the boys are cooperating for you :).
He’s such a sweet heart! Kuddos to you for you two beautiful boys.
This post is so heart-warming! And that first photo is so precious. I don’t even have kids and I couldn’t help tearing up 🙂 I’m so glad things are going so well for your family! Merry Christmas!
Your boys look too sweet. Will’s smiles are too cute!
I am so happy that you have a good nurser and sleeper! What a blessing that is! It makes it go so much smoother and you feel better all around! My second was a great sleeper and nurser too. Life just looks better when your getting sleep;)
You are truly blessed! You have 2 beautiful little dudes. I can only hope my transition from 1 to 2 kids is that painless when the time comes. Merry Christmas to the Bower family!!!
Oh yeah – the first week was hard. Like makemewishihadacsection kinda hard. Now it’s more like a nuisance…can’t really sit down…bathroom time still stinks (punny!) and the boobs have adjusted so all in all – not too shabby. The hormonal adjustment is weird too. I don’t remember that with Will but that’s probably because I was on some good drugs 🙂
xo -kb
Those pictures of them together are just precious. It is so sweet that Will is such a loving big brother.
So adorable! The photos are priceless. My son was head-over-heels in love with his sister as soon as he saw her (she’s 2mo now, he’s almost 2.5) and he still adores her and always wants to include her and help. She loves to look at him, and now that she’s smiling he gets SO excited when she smiles at him (“She’s smilin’ at me, Mommy!”). Although I’m sure they’ll fight later on once she’s able to get into his stuff, I know without a doubt that he’ll be a super-protective big brother. I’m so glad that your boys are already showing signs of being great friends!
Ha! The industrial-style stool softeners are gifts from Heaven!
Hi Katie! Your boys are precious–you are so very blessed 🙂 I remember a while back you mentioned something about taking Musinex and something else when trying to get pregnant. My husband and I are TTC, and I would love to know what these things are again. I looked around your blog, but couldn’t find the post.
Thanks 🙂
J
So so so beautiful. I am wondering how YOU are adjusting to have 2 babies. I hope you do a post about it. I only have one baby and am wondering if I will be able to handle 2. You seem like such a good mother- like it comes so naturally for you.
So beautiful! We did the gift thing too, with our first when the second came, she kept it with her whenever she was with her grandparents but now she doesn’t really care much for it. I ensured lots of praises too and some alone time whenever bubba was sleeping.
Now he’s 6 months (no more newborn =( ) and uhh, sturdier and I still need to remind our daughter he’s not yet big enough to play (though he’s REAL EAGER to!).
I’m looking forward to when they can both play together, but I’m savouring all the baby-ness for now! (we don’t plan on having any more *tear* )
So glad it’s all going so well and the photos are A M A Z I N G. Will have to revisit photoshop, thanks for the tutorial!
What a beautiful post! Your words and pictures are both amazing. Enjoy your little ones because they grow so quickly. God bless you and your family!!
Oh-So-Precious! And is Weston sporting some sideburns already? 🙂
oh yeah!
xo – kb
Adorable photos, so nice to hear that the brother loves him so much rather than feel left out or anything.
Could you have cuter boys? Will with Weston on the bopper…heartstopper!
Seriously, I’m glad it seems a lot of your worries have been for naught. God is good.
I don’t think Katie ever referenced Mucinex in any of her posts but a commenter named “jen” did mention that she would be trying it to TTC along with PreSeed and ovulation strips. The post was 10/11/11 and it was called “Yet Another Letter To Myself”. hope that helps
I actually did the Mucinex thing too…don’t know if it made much difference…seeing as how I didn;t get pregnant on it…but I tried nevertheless 🙂
xo – kb
So beautiful. The pictures. The words. The love. I mean, maybe it is because my son is Will’s age and my husband and I are ready for another baby. I can totally see Canon acting just like Will. He is so tender with babies and is so loving. I can’t wait for that day! Congratulations momma!
Very sweet!
That first picture is so sweet!! I have an almost 3 year old {boy}, and a 9 month old {girl} and they love on each other endlessly! They play peek-a-boo, he pretends to read her books, they snuggle up on the couch and watch Christmas movies, he shares his food with her without me asking… It’s the most beautiful thing in the entire world <3
beautiful… i’m so happy for you and how easy the transition was. it gives me hope (come june)! our daughter is so loving and caring already – my fear is the feeling of neglect! thanks for posting how you avoided that with Will. i figured lots of one-on-one time with dada (the fave) and grandparents will help tremendously the first week. you have a lovely family, katie. enjoy every moment 🙂
also, where in the world did you get that adorable crocheted outfit Weston’s wearing? love it.
Thanks girls 🙂 I knew I had seen that somewhere on your blog!
It is a little tricky but we are surviving 🙂 I usually do a ‘set up’ before nursing…so like I put out water color paints and some paper and get Will going and then he doesn’t feel like I’m supposed to be doing something with him. And Weston can be fast or slow…just depending on his mood. Sometimes it’s ten minutes…sometimes closer to forty minutes. Burping is the worst…he takes forever…but in general, nursing is going great.
xo – kb
I ordered it on Etsy.
xo – kb
How cute! I’m amazed at how much little Weston already looks like Jeremy, I think usually it takes a couple months to determine features but he is like a mini Jeremy. Congrats!
When our second daughter was born last year, I worried too about how our oldest would feel….the jealousy, the acting out, all that……I knew I would love them both, but what I was not prepared for was how much MORE I loved my older daughter when I saw what a wonderful big sister she turn out to be. My heart just swelled with this new chapter in her life….and I never thought I could love her more, but I just did! My heart would just burst when I would see her nuzzle or be sweet to her sister. Completely unexpected!!!!
I have my second on the way and they will be 14-15 months apart… I’m actually kind of terrified thinking about how I’ll do baths for two under two, and nurse. I had originally planned to tandem, but my milk sort of dried up during my pregnancy- so sad. Anyway, this post is super cute, and I’m so glad they have a connection already- it’s a mother’s dream!
I was wondering where you got the adorable towel for Will? We’ve grown out of the infant towels and I’m looking for durable toddler hooded towels. Hope you’re still getting some great sleep- I’m impressed!
It’s from Childrens Place I believe…it was a gift from my brother and sister in law 🙂
xo – kb
Katie, it says a lot about yours, and Jeremy’s parenting skills that Wills has adjusted as well as he has to Weston’s presence. It speaks volumes about Wills himself. Hats off to the two of you for guiding him to kindness, gentleness and sharing. He’s a terrific boy!
I wonder if other have notice how much Wills is a mini-me of his mommy, while Weston is a dead ringer for his dad! It’s gotta be those incredible eyes! 🙂 Wills’ has yours, and Weston’s got his dad’s. Two gorgeous kiddios.
mwah, heather x
This is so adorable! Theyre absolutely beautiful little boys!