Brothers

I was really looking forward to seeing how Nathan would react to meeting his baby brother. We had been talking about Samuel for months, but I wasn't sure how much Nathan really was understanding. He came up to the hospital Thursday afternoon to see his brother for the first time, and it was such a special moment for this momma.

He ran in and as soon as he saw Samuel, he exclaimed "baby, baby" and ran over to him smiling and laughing. It was so sweet. He brought the little giraffe he picked out for Samuel during his big brother day and laid it right on top of Samuel and then kept saying "baby, baby" over and over.

I don't think he stopped smiling the whole time he was in the hospital room. I'm sure it helped that the room was full of visitors and he got to share the spotlight with his baby brother. Matt and I had gotten him a big brother present that he got to open at the hospital, so he played with that and showed off for all our visitors.

He never forgot about Samuel though and kept going back to him to love on him. He has continued to be super sweet with Samuel and is still crazy about him. He hasn't shown any jealousy issues or anything yet. I know that it helps that Daddy has been home to help, so he's still getting a lot of attention, and my parents have been good about entertaining him too.

It's really apparent how much he loves his little brother. It's a joy to watch him interact with Samuel. He's been really good with him and has done several sweet things for his brother since we've been home from the hospital.

If he hears Samuel crying, he'll say, "Uh oh, cry" over and over. He has to make sure I know that Samuel's crying.

He wants to hold Samuel all the time. He'll come up to me while I'm holding Samuel, reach out his arms and say, "Hold you, hold you." Then he'll smile and laugh while I put Samuel in his lap. He'll just look at him and smile, pat his head, and give him kisses.

He likes to share his toys with Samuel. I've caught him putting his balls and stuffed animals in Samuel's bed with him. Samuel was covered in toys. He also always has to know where Samuel is. If he can't see him, he ask over and over for Samuel until we show him where Samuel is.

The other day, Matt had gotten up with Nathan and Samuel and I were still sleeping, when I heard Nathan running down the hall yelling, "Samuel, Samuel." He came in our room carrying Samuel's blanket and giraffe and laid it in his bassinet.

  

 When we gave Samuel a bath, I pulled up a chair for Nathan so he could watch. When I started washing him, Nathan acted concerned, hopped down from his chair and ran off to the bathroom. He came running back holding his wash cloth, because he wanted to help wash Samuel too.

I put Samuel in his crib for a nap for the first time, and Nathan grabbed his stool and carried it over to his crib so he could watch him. I stepped out of the room for a few seconds, and when I came back, Nathan had put one of Samuel's blankets in his crib, along with a Bible, and wet wipes. He's always watching out for him, just like a big brother should.

I'm praying these two brothers will be close friends as they grow up and will always be there for each other. I've heard that one of the best things about having two kids is watching them interact and play together. It's already been so special to watch Nathan love his brother, and I can't wait to watch them interact as they get older.