Mabel drew a picture of her little brother, something Charlie and I both celebrated somewhat quietly. A drawing felt like a huge step in the direction of acceptance: acceptance that change is on it's way, and will (has) arrive with the arrival of a little brother.

It's been trying, interesting, and a slowly evolving experience letting Mabel know she has a safe place with us and will not be replaced by her brother. M's first reaction was that she didn't want a brother, he must be a sister. She eventually accepted that he will be a boy, but firmly (and often) let us know she would not be sharing her strollers, her toys, or anything else of hers with him. All the while, when I sit on the couch and she snuggles up next to me, Boy-in-my-Belly maneuvers into a ball next to Mabel, so my belly is bulging off to the side. I think he already knows and loves her voice. We point it out to M, doing our best to know she's an integral part of the family.

Following a link from Aesthetic Outburst, I landed on Molasses Candy. It's comforting to read stories of similar anxiety over transition and celebration of artistic expression. Her post on drawing faces inspired me to look into the stages of children's artistic development. I loved reading this blog post from The Wonder Years about the Pre-Schematic Stage.