Large sibling age difference...what to expect???

[LWruby]

HI Mamas-

I am currently 36 weeks pregnant with my 3rd son. My two older sons are 5 & 7 years old. I am very curious about what to expect in terms of the older boys' reaction to suddenly having a baby in the house. My oldest was barely 2 years old when I had my 2nd son, so he barely remembers him as a baby at all. They are both pretty independent for their ages so I'm hoping they will adjust pretty well to the fact that I will be very busy tending to the new baby's needs much of the time, but I don't want them to feel "sidelined". :(

Any mamas have kiddos with a larger age-difference? Any tips?

Thanks! :)

-Ruby

[mamazee]

My kids are 7 years apart, and it's been pretty easy. The older one likes to help take care of the younger one. She did feel a bit jealous when the little one was a few months old and she realized my attention would be split between them forever, but she was old enough that we could talk through it and resolve things pretty easily. The two of us go out together alone at least once a week.