When my first son was born, I was over the moon. As cliche as it sounds, I honestly didn’t know I could love another human that much. It was an overwhelming feeling.
Throughout my second pregnancy, I was worried about how adding another baby to the family would work. Would it be possible for my heart to expand any more? How would my oldest son react to a little brother? Would I have the same connected relationship with both sons?
Not only did my heart indeed grow enough to add our second son to the family (ala the Grinch), but my relationship with both sons is stronger. I intentionally set time to do one-on-one things with them. I relish those moments.
One of the greatest joys, however, has been watching the relationship between my sons grow and develop. For the first six months to a year, my oldest son wasn’t quite sure what to do with his baby brother. As his little brother began to become more mobile and interactive, my eldest took his job as big brother to heart. He wanted to help feed him and bathe him. He’d bring him blankets and soft toys.
Over the last year, their relationship has grown even more. They’re now six and four. They have very distinct personalities but are each other’s best friends. I’m constantly amazed at how quickly they can flip from being upset at one another to playing together.
As they continue to grow up, I’m positive the swings in either direction will become more dramatic. I know they’ll fight and say things they’ll regret. But, I’m also confident they will continue to be a consistent, positive presence in each other’s lives.
The greatest gift I’ve been given is to be the mother to these two amazing boys. The greatest gift I will ever give them is each other.
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Photo by Jessica To’oto’o on Unsplash
https://unsplash.com/photos/hmRIBKD3ALo