Preparing Siblings for A New Baby! (And another GIVEAWAY!)

Today, we are going to talk about preparing our littles for the arrival of sibling (and make sure you stay tuned to the whole post as there is a great giveaway at the end!)...

It seem like only yesterday that Aiden became a big brother to his little brother Andrew now...

Aiden, at age four, will now have TWO little siblings!!!!!  While Andrew, at age two, will have the joy of becoming a big brother for the first time.  Both boys are excited about the thoughts of their little sister.  Now that Aiden is older, I am excited to see how he will be impacted by the birth of baby sister.  He understands now, loves to help with things around the house, and I think (cross my fingers) will adjust relatively easily.  I think his thought is "the more the merrier".  Andrew, my precious little baby right now, may have a harder time adjusting to the fact of sharing "mommy", but I think that big brother will keep him busy playing and he already is used to sharing time with Mommy with his big brother!

One great way to prepare kids for the arrival of another one is through books!  Courtney and I wanted to share some of our favorite big sibling books that are perfect for little ones to prepare and adjust to living with a new sibling:

1.  I'm a Big Brother and I'm A Big Sister by Joanna Cole.  The Big Brother version is still one of our favorites in our house!  We got this before Andrew was born for Aiden and it is simple for young children and a great addition to a growing family's library!

2.  The Berenstain Bears and Baby Makes Five and The Berenstain Bears' New Baby.  We love the Berenstain Bear books right now over at our house, so we checked out these at the library and the boys loved them.  If you have a Berenstain Bear lover, these are perfect!

3.  Best-Ever Big Sister and Best-Ever Big Brother by Karen Katz.  The Karen Katz books are perfect for toddlers and young children.  Courtney loved this series as Maggie was only 18 months when Alex was born.  Easy and quick reads with some simple pictures. 

4.  Franklin's Baby Sister:  We are also Franklin lovers at this house and the boys loved hearing this story over and over and over again!  

5.  Big Sister Dora!:  Another favorite over at Courtney's house as Maggie was an avid Dora lover when Alex was a small baby.  A must for any Dora fan!

6.  The New Baby by Mercer Mayer.  Love how the Little Critter series brings the idea of a new sibling!

7. Hello Baby!  Another book perfect for prepping for new baby!

While I was perusing Amazon the past couple weeks, I think I found what I may add to our collection of "big sibling" books:  God Gave Us Two.  I love this series and am excited to find one of their books that incorporates bringing a new sibling home!

There isn't much on my MUST have list before baby #3 arrives, but I just love the idea of big brother/little sister shirts and wanted to get some to add to our closets.  And look what arrived in the mail this week...
Aren't these the cutest shirts ever?!?!?!?!    Harper's House created these fabulous big brother shirts for Aiden and Andrew and this adorable little sister onesie for baby sister on the way!  And I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them!!!!    

 (And this baby sister is going to have to be one tough cookie with these two as her older brothers!)

Harper's House not only creates these adorable big/little sibling shirts, but also makes fun and custom boutique style clothing and accessories for every occasion.  Items include appliqué shirts for boys and girls, baby items, and other personalized gear.  Kelly, the shop owner, loves to work with customers to create great items that will be perfect for any event!
Click the following links to find out more about Harper's House:
Etsy Shop : Facebook : Pinterest
And here are a few more adorable items from the shop:
And I LOVE this giveaway from Harper's House that we are bringing our readers as a part of baby week.  One lucky reader will win a $20 gift certificate to this shop.  Enter in the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!!!!  (And make sure to check out our Giveaways tab at the top of the page, there are NINE giveaways to enter right now and ONE more really awesome one coming tomorrow!!!!!!)
In less than two months, these boys will be BIG brothers and I can't WAIT! a Rafflecopter giveaway