how's the big brother?

A lot of people ask me how Levi is doing with the new baby. I am happy to report that I think he is a really, really good big brother.

He is generally aware of Wendy's presence. Say she is in the next room, in her bouncy seat asleep while Levi and I are eating lunch. The moment she starts up her stretching, I'm-awake noises, he tells me "wake!" Wendy is awake.

When I ask if Wendy can read a story with us, he says "mm hmm, yeah." He lets me read his naptime story to him with Wendy on the other side of my lap. (Quite the sight, the three of us smooshed in a chair and me trying to turn pages.) A couple times she has slumped over onto his shoulder. Levi is not a particularly cuddly toddler, so I expected him to squirm. Instead, he looked down at her. Looked up. Looked down again, and let her be. When she lost her binky, he gently put it back in her mouth.

Levi understands that Wendy can't eat real food yet because she has no teeth. I am explaining that she has to cry because she can't talk yet. (He has been trying to get her to talk, though. He'll go over to her and just say "talk!") He has been patient when Wendy cries and I say "I need to help Wendy." One time he said "me do it. help Wendy." and he went to her, giggled her bouncy seat and walked away.

Sometimes he brings her toys, he shows her things. When she cries, he doesn't seem too distressed (which is really nice because two crying kids in a car is worse than one). He doesn't get jealous of me holding her, nursing her, etc. Even if he asks me to pick him up and I can't, he accepts my explanation that I can't because my hands are busy.

So all in all, I'm glad that Levi is doing as well or better than I could have expected from a 2-year-old!