Devin was two years old when her baby brother, Nathan, joined our family. She wasn’t sure what to make of the squirmy little creature and referred to him as “Mommy’s baby” rather than her “baby brother”. She tried to ignore him as much as possible during those first few days home from the hospital.
A bran-new baby brother, only a few days old, was an easy thing for his much older, wiser sister to ignore. After all, he slept both day and night, waking only to be changed and nursed. While baby Nathan slept, Devin and I played, cuddled and laughed together as if she were still an only child. When the baby woke to be nursed or changed, Devin took her self to another part of the house and played until he fell asleep again.
So, it really wasn’t surprising when on the third day home from the hospital Devin seemed completely puzzled to see me (discreetly and modestly) nursing her baby brother. Nathan and I were snuggled in the oversized glider-rocker when Devin, forgetting that the baby was awake, came bouncing into the living room to show me her latest masterpiece built from brightly colored Duplo blocks.
At the sight of her baby brother nursing, Devin paused, no longer aware of the colorful masterpiece still in her hands. I watched as she stood there, mental gears turning, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. Finally, looking completely perplexed, she asked, “What cha’ doin’?”
I told her that I was nursing the baby. I went on to explain that all mommies make milk for their new babies.
Devin continued to stand there assimilating this new information, trying to figure out how to fit it into what she already knew about the world. Suddenly her face was transformed by a look of complete clarity and understanding. Excited by her new enlightenment, Devin spun around like a miniature ballerina on one foot, with arms outstretched and silky brown curls dancing around her head.
Coming to a stop, she looked at me and gleefully announced . . .
"Mommy, you're a COW!"