Earlier this week, we decided to go over to my aunt’s house, since my uncle from New Orleans was in town for a brief visit. After the normal exchange of hugs, we started updating everyone on various family members and making plans for Thanksgiving dinner.
During the visit, my daughter Nandi is sitting on my lap. A few minutes go by and my aunt’s six-month-old grandson wakes up from a nap. Well, my husband decides to hold the little boy for a while, and all of a sudden, Nandi’s attitude changes. Instead of sitting happily on my lap, she looks at the baby and then at my husband, as if in shock. She then becomes extremely quiet, staring intently at the baby, while casting sideways glances in my direction, as if to say, “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?!”
To make her feel better, I give her a comforting kiss on the cheek, saying, “It’s okay, sweet cheeks. You’re Dad is just holding your cousin for a few minutes. Say ‘hi’ to the baby!” She looked at me and then back at the baby boy, completely mute and stone-faced. My aunt’s grandson, on the other hand, was smiling and babbling and reaching out for Nandi. My daughter continued to stare him down.
She then grabs my husband’s cell phone and starts playing with it. I guess my aunt’s grandson thought Nandi wouldn’t mind sharing, but boy was he wrong. Nandi immediately yanked the phone out of his reach and held it closer to her body. “Nandi, that’s not nice. You need to share, baby,” I said. She ignored me, while she continued to stare at the baby.
The stare soon turned into a pout. She looked up at me with sad eyes, slid off my lap, stood on the floor and laid her head on my lap instead. I felt bad for the little lady, but my husband and I both know she needs to get used to her father holding another child. Come early January, she’ll have a baby brother or sister in the picture to contend with.
All this time, mind you, various relatives are trying to get Nandi’s attention – talking to her, attempting to kiss her on the cheek, or simply make her laugh. My daughter’s complete focus remains on the baby in my husband’s lap.
After about 15 minutes or so, my husband places the baby into my aunt’s arms; and within a matter of a millisecond, Nandi leaps onto her father’s lap. A satisfied smile spread across her face and she leaned back to rest her head onto his chest (as if she was letting everyone in the house know that was her spot, and it belonged to no one else).
All I could do was shake my head in disbelief. If this is a glimpse into how my little one is going to behave next year, my husband and I are in for some bumpy roads ahead. I’ll continue to be prayerful though, because our little angel is turning out to be a handful. But never a dull moment goes by when she’s around; she’s making sure of that.
Chandra is a Sr. Public Relations Specialist for Texas Health Resources and Mom to strong-willed Nandi who will have a new sibling in January.
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