diff --git a/addon/-private/system/relationships/state/relationship.js b/addon/-private/system/relationships/state/relationship.js
index 8a6893c4f79..2d1792d9877 100644
--- a/addon/-private/system/relationships/state/relationship.js
+++ b/addon/-private/system/relationships/state/relationship.js
@@ -346,7 +346,7 @@ export default class Relationship {
     this.store._updateRelationshipState(this);
   }
 
-  updateLink(link) {
+  updateLink(link, initial) {
     heimdall.increment(updateLink);
     warn(`You pushed a record of type '${this.internalModel.modelName}' with a relationship '${this.key}' configured as 'async: false'. You've included a link but no primary data, this may be an error in your payload.`, this.isAsync || this.hasData , {
       id: 'ds.store.push-link-for-sync-relationship'
@@ -355,7 +355,10 @@ export default class Relationship {
 
     this.link = link;
     this.linkPromise = null;
-    this.internalModel.notifyPropertyChange(this.key);
+
+    if (!initial) {
+      this.internalModel.notifyPropertyChange(this.key);
+    }
   }
 
   findLink() {
diff --git a/addon/-private/system/store.js b/addon/-private/system/store.js
index ac30e54c1cc..1c39f680e80 100644
--- a/addon/-private/system/store.js
+++ b/addon/-private/system/store.js
@@ -2873,7 +2873,7 @@ function setupRelationships(store, internalModel, data, modelNameToInverseMap) {
 
     if (relationshipRequiresNotification) {
       let relationshipData = data.relationships[relationshipName];
-      relationships.get(relationshipName).push(relationshipData);
+      relationships.get(relationshipName).push(relationshipData, false);
     }
 
     // in debug, assert payload validity eagerly