Big Brothers

Jonah is lucky to have two amazing big brothers.

One was head over heels in love with him before he even met him

....and the other had no clue what this was really going to mean.

Eli loves babies and has always loved babies. He has a nurturing soul and as a toddler, enjoyed playing with dolls so much that we quickly got him his own. He treasured it. It was the toy he couldn't share well.  As soon as Jude was born, Eli was quick to let us know that he was ready for us to have another baby, specifically a baby sister. (....and he still wants one.)

Being a big brother comes naturally for our sweet Eli, so when it came time for him to meet his newest little brother, excited doesn't begin to describe it. 

He must have asked to hold him and cuddle him at least 10 times that first day. Just so sweet. 

Jude, on the other hand, kept his distance the entire first day, and wouldn't even come near me if I was holding the baby.

I think he figured: If I pretend this baby isn't here, then he isn't really here.  The best we got out of Jude that night was a little wave to the baby before he left. It was a start. He was happier coloring in his new coloring book. Each boy got one with new crayons as part of a Big Brother gift. 

Day 2 brought another visit from the Big Brothers, and Jude was beginning to warm up to the idea of this baby being here....and ventured a little closer this time.

I figured this was about as good as it was going to get today, but he surprised us all once Jonah began to cry a little. From across the room, he tried to soothe and calm him. "It's OK, baby Jonah." "Don't cry, Baby." From there, all it took was a little encouragement to give him a little kiss.....

...and to our surprise, he did! Sweet Jonah stopped crying as soon as Jude kissed him. We couldn't have asked for anything better. Eli loved getting more cuddles

....and finding out that we had picked Jonah (Eli's 1st choice) as his brother's name. 

The next day, it was time to go home, and the boys were there with their new shirts on to help us bring the littlest brother home. Jude was still not so sure about getting close to Jonah, so it was hard to snap a picture without Jude trying to squirm as far away as he could. 

Pure joy. That is how I can describe seeing my three boys all together. Seeing our family together. What a true and precious gift. Life.

And we were off. Jonah was not digging the car seat. 

Those are my boys. My crazy gang taking off for the elevators. I don't think I could love them more.

I turned to Matt as we were pulling out of the parking lot and said, "We have a full car." It was incredibly surreal to know that this was just the beginning. We weren't sure what we were in for or how we were going to make it all work, but we knew we would be just fine. Once again, as overwhelmed as I was, I knew that it felt right and it felt perfect. 

Since then, Jude has continued to warm up to his baby brother. He gives him daily kisses and pats. He still isn't quite sure at times how to handle him; often telling me to put Jonah down on the bed or in the swing. I consider it a blessing that he keeps his distance as he is not the most gentle 2 year old....and he is incredibly clumsy. It is safer for Jonah if Jude keeps his distance. 

Eli continues to be a rock star Big Brother and loves to hold Jonah, check out all of his tiny parts, and help out whenever he can. One afternoon, Eli came to me in tears confessing that I hadn't asked him to help very much that day and he wanted to help me. What a sweetheart!

Now don't get me wrong. We are still going through some serious adjustments around here. Most days we don't make it look too pretty, but we are making it. I give myself (and the boys...) lots and lots of do-overs. Both boys have had their moments and been acting out a bit as we are settling in to new routines and patterns that are still changing daily. But we are doing it and figuring it all out. No one has gone hungry or naked....yet. Gotta celebrate the small stuff, right? 

Jonah fits into our family perfectly. I, just like Eli, love spending time staring at him and all of his teeny tiny parts. I am trying to freeze time and capture precious, fleeting moments. Jonah is a lucky kid to have brothers like Eli and Jude....and he will love his big brothers as much as they love him.