Friday's Favorites: Moments

The meeting of the brothers...my sons:

This moment is definitely in the top 5 in my life, it might even take the top spot - the best moment of my life. For months we've talked about the baby and everything that meant to Big Brother, from how he'll be able to 'teach him things' to how the baby will 'cry a lot because he doesn't know words'. Big Brother has seemed excited but you never really know how a child will actually react to the reality of a new sibling.

I will never, ever forget the moment that my sons met for the first time. I was sitting in the hospital bed holding Little Brother snuggled to my chest. I heard Big Brother coming down the hall so I was watching the door to see him enter. He came in with his neck craned out and looking all over the place for his new baby brother. As soon as he saw Little Brother in my arms, his face lit up with an expression of pure joy that I will hold in my mind and heart forever. He did a quick intake of breath and in absolutely the sweetest, gently pitched voice I've ever heard him use, he said, "Awwwww, I LOVE him!!!" (Yes, those were the first (& unprompted) words out of his mouth!) He then basically threw himself on the bed to get as close to his brother as possible and spent 10 minutes or more just soaking him in saying, over and over, "I love him! He's so cute! Aw, my brother!"

Here's one of my favorite pictures of the meeting:
My mom described the look on Big Brother's face as 'positively beatific'. I think that's a good description. What more could a mommy's heart wish for than such instant love of her firstborn for her second?!

Here's the gentle love and wonder at the miracle that his little brother is finally out of mommy's tummy...
'I love you, brother' snuggles,
and the happy family of four!
I know that sibling rivalry, fights, and button-pushing are all inevitably contained in our future, but my hope and prayer is that this, one of the most wonderful and poignant moments of my life, will set and cement the tone of their relationship for the rest of their lives.