Peter's Chair

There is a wonderful book by Jack Ezra Keats called Peter's Chair. It's about a little boy who has a baby sister. His parents have painted all his old baby furniture pink, but when it comes time to paint Peter's chair, Peter decides he's had enough. He picks up his chair, grabs several other prized possessions and runs away.

Here he is on the sidewalk with his prized possessions (that's his mother leaning out the window, inviting him to come back inside for a snack.)

The outcome of the story is very sweet.

In a fit of sadness, I gave away our copy of Peter's Chair when we abandoned hopes of adopting. We are overdue for a reading of Peter's Chair around here. Last night, I was sorting through a basket of stuffed animals and pulled out a soft, velour ball with a bell inside. When I suggested to Little Mr. that we might set this aside for the baby, he clutched it in his arms and slept with it all night... I've reassured Little Mr. that he can play with the stuffed ball (and all of his old baby toys) as long as he likes. I also added that, when he was ready, he might have fun playing with the ball with the baby...

In sorting through boxes of baby clothes, I've unearthed more of Little Mr.'s baby toys.

And then, there are some lovely new ones recently added to our collection!

All in all, things are going fairly well regarding Little Mr.'s anticipation of the new arrival. He's worried the baby is going to cry and make a lot of noise. Generally, when asked, Little Mr. will say he's not looking forward to the baby. I think this is good. I would worry if he were excited then, once the baby got here, found himself disappointed. Going in with a negative attitude, I sense he will have an opportunity to be pleasantly surprised by the love and attachment I hope he will feel.

Interestingly, over the past few days Little Mr. has asked several times for us to read him the book Baby, Come Out! It's about a baby who refuses to be born until she's lured out with a promise of a kiss. We love this book!