Brotherly Love

I love watching how your siblings interact with you, Leif, because they each do it in their own unique way. Zoe-time is filled with games and songs geared to stimulate your brain. She sits on the couch and lies you up against her bended knees and  sings to you and reads to you. The other day I even caught her trying to teach you about shapes and colours . . . Mensa, here you come! I think Zoe is tired of being the only brainiac in the house; either that or she thinks of you as her latest experiment (kind of like all the bacteria she is currently growing in her room). Whatever her motives are, you love spending time with your Zoe girl, and as much as I hate to admit it, sometimes you prefer her arms to mine.

Elliot-time is like your own personal therapy session. Elliot always holds you really close, asks you how you are feeling and assures you that he will never let anything hurt you. His main goal is to make sure you feel safe and comfortable. He also carefully introduces and explains the world around you. The other day, I overheard him tell you: 

Leif, when mom says just a minute, she does not actually mean another minute more. What she means to say is that she is busy right now and that you have to wait. Just because she can't hold you right now does not mean she does not love you. Trust me. She's just a busy mom.

You love curling up with Elliot when you are tired or need a rest from your daily mental warm-ups with Zoe, and it melts my heart to see how gentle he is with you.

Avery-time, on the other hand, is all about strength-training. He is dying for you to run, jump and even fly (yes, I caught him just two days after you arrived home from the hospital trying to fly you around the room . . . eeeek!) You love Avery's energy when you are in the mood to play. He joins you at tubby time and splashes you and dumps water over your head. He holds you up and bounces you on the couch. He rolls you, he tickles you, and he runs around the room with you in his arms. Just now I caught him trying to teach you how to crawl on the couch!  That boy is going to give your mama a heart attack!

It should come as no surprise when I tell you that Avery is also responsible for your first bump.The other morning Avery swooped you out of bed and was holding you up, trying to teach you how to walk. Just seconds later I found you lying on the floor crying with Avery crying alongside of you. Upon careful inspection, I determined that only your heart seemed broken and after nursing and cuddling with mama, you were back to your cheerful self, but you wanted nothing to do with Avery. He would come by to apologize and you would turn away from him screaming. Poor Avery felt terrible. Thankfully, you eventually decided to forgive him; I guess you figured it was time to play again.  

I should point out, though, Leif, that when Avery apologized, he never actually said it would not happen again. 

Life Lesson #1 - Love can hurt, especially if that love is coming from Avery. 

Consider yourself warned!