Buds

Wyatt and Elijah are pretty tight. He will kiss his baby brother on the head (I think because his hair feels like the fuzz on a peach and it tickles) and say every morning, "Good mornin' Wijah." But that hasn't always been the case. A few weeks after we brought Elijah home from the hospital and Wyatt realized he was actually staying and not just here for a visit, life got interesting.

I was sitting on the couch one afternoon nursing Elijah when Wyatt came and stood beside me. I didn't think much about it because we were watching Sesame Street together. I looked over to admire my darling, angelic, doe-eyed almost-two-year-old in that ethereal, sleep-deprived, hazy daze through which most new moms view life for the first few months, when I noticed that a vein was bulging out of Wyatt's forehead. Hmm, I thought. That's odd. So I asked him, "Watcha doin' Wyatt?" To which he replied, " I SQUEEEEZE IT!" Huh? Well, sure enough, I pulled back the blanket covering Elijah's legs only to unveil the vice-like grip of his big brother's pudgy little hand around his poor little leg. I "convinced" Wyatt to let go and that it was not nice to squeeze his brother so hard, that maybe a little kiss was more appropriate.

Later that day, I was sitting on my bed, looking at Elijah on the boppy when Wyatt bounced into the room and announced, "I need up." Awww, I thought. He wants to hang out with Mommy and Elijah. So I scooted Elijah back and sat Wyatt in my lap so we could see the new baby together. The next thing I know, Wyatt says, "I kick it!" and "kicks" Elijah's feet. We again had a "discussion" about how we have to be gentle with the new baby...yada yada, blah blah blah.

Well, just when I think he's not getting it, Wyatt shows some comprehension of our previous "talks" and proceeds to show me his understanding of this new life with a baby brother. I was again feeding Elijah when Wyatt climbed up beside me on the couch and rested his, in comparison- gigantic foot, on his brother's tiny head. I turned to give him "the look," to which he exclaimed, "I NOT kick it!" So, resigned to the possibility that he just may be learning, and too tired for another "chat," I allowed Elijah to finish the rest of that feeding with a foot planted on his forehead.

Wyatt and Elijah are now pretty close. That's due mostly to Elijah's super laid-back personality. And despite the occasional poke in the eye or being the target of a thrown toy, he thinks everything Wyatt does is pretty darn funny. I think, however, that Wyatt will somehow always have the upper hand in this relationship, and it will serve his younger brother well to learn to look over his shoulder and to beware. You can take a look at the following pictures, and decide for yourself.

Some days you get the boogie...

...and some days the boogie gets you.

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Disclaimer: This is all in fun. No infants were violated in the making of this post; no actual boogies exchanged.