big brother

When you have been the little brother for your whole entire life, sometimes it's hard to get used to being a big brother. Benefactor has been trying to get used to it for 5 weeks now.

The first week or so he just tried to keep straight which baby it was that we brought home. Was is his little friends' baby Levi? Was is his sweet baby cousin Aubrey? He wasn't sure. Some of that is probably because we didn't have a name for baby James until he was 5 hours old. Finally, though, after a week or two, he figured out his new baby brothers' name; Baby Jame.

The second week he just wondered why he didn't get as many cuddles from mom, and why mom couldn't put him to bed every night. He started to get a little tired of all the attention showered on this squeeky little guy, and when he tried to climb into bed with mom in the morning, he found that either she was already up and awake and feeding the baby, or she was really really really trying to get a few more minutes sleep and that Baby Jame was in his spot next to mom, anyway.

The third week Baby Jame and mom were gone in first one hospital, and then another, and he only got to visit mom once. He had the fun of lots of attention from Dad and Gram, and even got to go on a trip to Gram's house, but he still missed the way things were. He tried really hard to be one of the big kids, but sometimes it just wore him plum out, and he would want to rest with a movie in the afternoon, or climb into bed with Gram and Papa during the night, who haven't share their bed with a little one for quite a few years.

To make things a little more lonely for the little guy, his favorite two people on the planet both started school for the first time just three days after Baby Jame was born. Benefactor was extra lonely without the energy and imagination of his older sister and brother, and he didn't know quite what to do with himself in those long hours between 7 and 3. Would he singlehandedly defend the house from the worlds bad guys? Would he build his own towering cities of block with car and train transportation? Would he become an artist, painting paper and self with brilliant color? He tried them all, but settled on the delight of playing thief, stealing toys and treaures from the rich and giving to himself.

These days he is settling into the new normal. He misses Mademoiselle and S.A.M., and loves his Baby Jame. He keeps very busy, what with all the clothes changing and Robin Hooding, but sometimes he gets himself so worn out that the only thing he can manage is crashing on the floor for a little movie. Learning to be a big brother is hard work.