The Sibling Bond

When we first found out that we were expecting a girl during my pregnancy with Macey, I was ecstatic. I started daydreaming about tiny dresses and pig tails and all of the pink and purple that would soon consume our world. And then I started thinking about Camden and the kind of relationship he would have with his little sister. You see, I have both a brother and a sister and have unique relationships with each of them. My sister is much closer in age to me (4 years apart) than my brother (8 years apart). Growing up, my sister was a friend and playmate to me (until she reached her teenage years and decided she didn't want anything to do with her annoying little sister anymore). My brother and I had a decidedly different relationship since he was so much younger than me. I was more of a caretaker to him; I looked after him and was (and still am) very protective of him.

So, even though I do have siblings of my own, I knew Camden's relationship with his future sister would be a very different experience for him than what I knew growing up. First of all, they are much closer in age than I was with either of my siblings (2 years, 9 months apart). And they are different genders. I didn't know what to expect: would they have anything in common? Would they want anything to do with each other? Would they even like each other? I had watched my same-gender nephews (who are just over 2 years apart) grow up as the best of friends. But I wondered if that was only because they were both boys and had more in common than Camden and his sister likely would.

Oh, my goodness- let me tell you, watching Camden and Macey's relationship grow over the past 18 months has been one of the most rewarding parts of being a parent. It's such a wonderful and fulfilling feeling to see two people that you love with all of your heart love each other just as much. There just aren't really adequate words to explain how I feel when I see them laughing together, playing together, and even making trouble together. They have such a special bond. Macey grins whenever he walks into her room in the morning and yells, " Hi, bro!" from her crib. Camden is always looking out for his sister. He'll often walk to the fridge and pick out two yogurts; one for himself and one for his sister. He's also already protective of her. Whenever he feels like anyone is being too rough with Macey, he will say, "Don't hurt my baby sister!" and stand guard in front of her. Even when they gang up on me, I secretly enjoy it (shh, don't tell them). Every night when it's time to get into pajamas, they make a show of running from me and hiding. I hear the pitter patter of little feet as they sprint into the dining room and then squeals of laughter as they squeeze under the table to avoid having to get ready for bed.

I can't wait to see how their relationship continues to grow and evolve as they get older. (Camden often asks me, "When is Macey going to be 2? When she's 2, she'll be big enough to play more things with me.") I know, I know- there will be arguments and drama and rivalry and all of that other stuff that comes along with having a sibling (I already get some glimpses of those things here and there). But they'll also have that irreplaceable bond that comes from so many shared experiences and memories. I hope they'll always know how lucky they are.