The Moment We've Been Waiting For

With a gesture towards my very round stomach, a stranger would ask, "Is this your first?"

I'd rest a hand atop the shelf created by the life growing and kicking and flipping inside and say with a smile, "No, he's got a big brother at home.  He'll be three when this little one arrives."  

"Three years apart?  That's good, they'll be great friends some day."

"That's what we're hoping."

When we started talking about having a second child, the age distance between our children was important to me.  My sister and I are just shy of two years apart, and our birth months had me just one grade behind her once we started school.  Now I love my sister dearly, but I had my share of issues growing up with the identity that stemmed from being "L's little sister" and not Kim.  I know that made me incredibly sensitive to the plight of being number two and I wanted to make sure that there was at least one school year as a buffer between our children.  But at the same time, I didn't want them to be so far apart that they could never find common ground.

So, we've got two boys who are three years and two months apart.  Far enough apart that j won't be so fresh in teacher's minds as they greet e in a classroom, and close enough that they can still share common interests and activities.

And finally, almost three years into their relationship as brothers, we've reached our first point of common interests and activities, and dare I say it, these brothers are becoming friends.

They can now laugh and play together for hours without tears and complaints.  They can make a game out of running back and forth in the house, or can snuggle together quietly with books or a movie.  e is now interested in toys that j is still interested in, as opposed to the "baby toys" j made known he was too old for.  e is also now big enough that they can play like little boys do, and that kid can hold his own against his big brother.  It is so fun to watch their interactions now.

And while they still have their moments, I think this rather recent change is going to stick around.  At least until they have girls to fight over.