1st photo together. July 2, 2008
Every once in a while people will ask me if my children had a bond right away or did we have to work on getting them to bond. I think I get this question not only because of the age difference between my children but due to the fact that one of them is adopted.
The easy answer is yes, they bonded pretty quickly. It seemed so natural. Maybe it was because we adopted Madilyn as a new born and bonding for her was natural. Maybe Caleb felt a quick bond because we had been trying to adopt for so long. I don’t know how it happened so quickly but I am glad it did.
The day Madilyn came into our lives our son was a little apprehensive a little excited and tired from our travels. Twelve year old boys sometimes hide their emotions so it was a little hard to tell exactly how he was feeling. However, as the hours passed and the day wore on he became impatient with waiting for her arrival. It was late when she arrived, 11:45 pm at night. We were tried and ready for bed, but we knew that at any minute our world would change.
She was so tiny. The first time he held her the look in his eyes told me everything I needed to know. He would love her and he would protect her just like any other big brother in the world does for their little sister. Bonding between siblings is not always easy, especially when there is an age gap. I am just glad to know that even though they do not share genetics, they do share a bond just like other siblings share.
September 2013