Chloe's Perspective

I've been thinking a lot lately about what I assume to be Chloe's perspective of the last 2 months. I wish I had gotten a picture of one of her perspectives - laying down looking like a giant on the infant gym (fancy name for a play mat) with a pacifier in her mouth. A new habit she picked up just 2 weeks ago after wanting to have nothing to do with one when she was a baby. I am choosing my battles on that one and assuming that it will only become a big deal if I make it one. Instead I laugh and tell her she looks silly. She laughs, too.

So - here are some observations of Chloe's experience and realities:

We did a big sibling training at the hospital just under 2 weeks from when Gavin was born. I had two concerns - it was too far from his anticipated birth date (HA!), and I was worried Chloe wouldn't remember much. The class included a tour. When she came in to see me in the hospital, she walked into my room and immediately realized that the baby's bed wasn't there like it was in the tour. She asked about it for awhile and was confused why the baby and bed were missing when she had been told they would be right by Mommy's bed.

Gavin has been out of the hospital for almost 5 weeks now! Chloe has finally stopped washing her hands up to her elbows NICU style, most of the time. I appreciate the sterile aspirations, but at home it means water everywhere!

My c-section recovery has been of major interest to her, as mentioned in a previous post that I won't repeat again now.

Chloe has her own extra set of pump parts to keep her away from mine. She tells us that mommy milk comes from armpits. She even made up a song once about it.

Feeding a baby as a whole seems to be a little confusing since she's witnessed a feeding tube, NICU bottles, mommy using the breast pump, and now nursing. Pretty complicated, and Chloe is always full of questions. And seems to not quite know how to feed her dolls! Watching her creativity in trying different methods is hilarious. I'm sure her seeing us struggle to get Gavin to eat only adds to her inspiration.

She thinks babies stay in the hospital for awhile, which makes total sense. And she's witnessed and participated in crying and wanting to take her baby home.

She's gone back and forth between talking about being a doctor or being a nurse. Unlike most 2 year olds, she actually has a sense of what she's talking about.

We have 2 books about babies and becoming a big sibling. She's always looking for the boo boo's on the babies (and any other pictures of newborns). One of them actually addresses prematurity in just one sentence, and the illustration has a baby in an isolette.

All this, and she turned 2 just 2 weeks before Gavin was born! I'm shocked at what she remembers from weeks ago even. I wonder what she'll remember from this experience and how it will affect her perspective long term. I'm a big fan of the phrase "perspective is reality" and use it probably too often with our staff (but I've also heard them repeat it, which is awesome). Chloe's reality as it relates to childbirth has been an unusual perspective for sure.

Lena