When Kami Came

My sister, Kira, and her husband went on a week long cruise to Alaska and we got to watch their youngest child, Kami (who just turned one) while they were gone.  We called it, "practice for five."  

I had no idea how it would go.  Would Kami adjust well?  Kira assured me she was an "easy" baby, but it's still a big change for her.  How would my kids react?  Especially Graham.  Would he be jealous?

The first day, Kami only wanted me to hold her, and she just wanted to cuddle.  

Aubree was disappointed Kami cried when she held her.  

Kami did warm up to Aubree and the boys pretty quickly, though.  

Considering they treated her like the star attraction, I'd be surprised if she didn't!  Kami could do no wrong.  When she crawled through Bryce and Thane's non-stop War games, they just laughed.  They were over-eager to bring her toys and to give her gentle hugs and to try to make her giggle.  Even Graham straight-up adored her.  He kept commenting, "Kami's a baby.  I'm a Big Boy."  He didn't mind at all that she was sleeping in the crib he just moved out of, or sitting in his booster seat at the table.  What a relief!

Aubree took it upon herself to try to teach Kami to walk.  

 She was pretty successful!

And Kira was right - Kami is one of the easiest babies ever.  She took great, predictable naps every day, loved to snuggle, and was generally happy and calm.  She did not like Mark (or most other adults who tried to take her away from me), and cried as soon as Mark came home from work every day.  

One night we skyped with her siblings in Utah, and she laughed the whole time they were on the screen.  As soon as the session ended, however, she cried inconsolably for five minutes (a very long time for this chill girl).  

Despite Kami being so easy, five kids was a lot of work!  I've gotten used to sleeping through the night.  I'm out of practice having to feed a baby all her meals.  Graham is old enough that we don't have to worry about constantly sweeping the floor, or not leaving small toys out.  

Going to the grocery store was an adventure.  I regularly go with all three boys, and never care if we get funny looks or comments.  However, with Kami in the cart, I was suddenly self-conscious.  Having a 7 year old, a 4 year old, a 2 year old, a 1 year old, and an obviously pregnant belly left me walking through the store with a permanent blush on my face.   Strange, eh?
When we picked up Kira and Stew from their ship, Kami was ecstatic.  Kira and Stew were able to stay and play with us for an extra day, and everyone delighted in their company.

Overall, I'd say our "practice for five" was a resounding success.  Obviously our baby won't come as a one-year old, but I also won't be pregnant any more once she arrives!  I was so pleased to see how well all of the other kids adapted to having another little person around, and how eager they all were to help out.  Hopefully, real life with five will be equally successful (but we're in no hurry).