Big Brother R-Man

Well, there have been lots of changes for R-Man in the last couple of weeks and he has been handling them much better than I ever expected! In fact, I would say that he is probably adjusting to being a big brother better than I have been adjusting to being a mother of two! He is (generally) very gentle with Lion Cub and even helps me by singing to him when I can't get to him right away or am rinsing out a diaper. He tends to still call Lion Cub "the baby" or "my brother," so we are working on getting him to actually call him by his name, but other than that he is accepting him quite well!

R-Man is even okay with Lion Cub nursing all the time- something I thought he would take issue with since he was still so comforted by "the nurses" (even though he hadn't actually "nursed" in over a year!)! His first words as he came into the room after Lion Cub was born were even "Mama needs to nurse the baby!" Hopefully this will only lead to more sharing in the future :-) !

Here are some of my favorite picks of R-Man with Lion Cub over the past few weeks:

Seeing Lion Cub for the first time!

Plugging his ears from Lion Cub's crying.

Upset because we won't let him get in the birth tub!

Holding Lion Cub for the first time.

Helping our midwife check out Lion Cub.

First snuggles about an hour after Lion Cub was born!

Hangin' with Papa & Lion Cub!

A picture that R-Man took of Papa and Lion Cub! Not too Shabby!

Brothers- just chillin'!

The latest from R Cameraman!

Once again, R-man just had to get his little fingers on the camera (I can already tell he will be asking for one by Christmas for sure!)! Although all of his shots may not be that clear, it is still clear to see what matters most to him:

Daddy

Mama

There we are again!

and, of course, his milk!

Keep up the good work little man! Mama loves to see things through your eyes!

Pancakes!!!

I love to see R-man's imagination at work! A few weeks ago I received some washable nursing pads in the mail that I had ordered. I had them sitting on the table, trying to remind myself to take them down and wash them, but apparently they reminded R-man of something else- Pancakes!

He is very in to pretend cooking right now and one day I came upstairs to find him flipping his "pancakes" on the couch! He looked up and said, "I makin' hot cakes- just like Grandma!" If you can't tell, pancakes are one of his favorite treats to eat when he goes over to visit his great-grandmother!

Oh the things I have to learn from this little man about thinking outside the box!

Flippin' away!

Our last days as just the three of us!

Well, little bud, pretty soon it won't just be you, daddy and me anymore- your little brother or sister will be here any day now! Before he or she makes their big debut, however, I want and need to tell you how much we love you and just how incredibly special you are to us! You have been the ultimate "jump in with both feet" first child! You have spared us no challenge, but you have also spared us no joy! We couldn't have hoped or dreamed for a better first kiddo and no matter what, we will love you abundantly forever!

When this baby comes, mama and daddy are going to have our hands very full because little babies take lots of time and attention, but in the midst of all the craziness I want you to remember these things:

• We will always love your cuddles and snuggles! We love that you are such a snuggly and lovey guy and we never want you to change that!
• We are so proud of all of your accomplishments- you surprise us every day with all the new things you learn!
• Although you will have to be quiet more so the baby can sleep, we always want to hear what is on your mind! Mama and daddy love to hear your amazing little thoughts about life!
• We love you, love you, love you!!! No baby will ever change the amount of love we have for you!!

I can't wait to see how similar and different you and your new sibling will be- you are both individuals and we love you both for your own special qualities. I will always love and never forget...

Your first day...

The way you loved to sleep on us...

Your goofy faces...

Your sweet faces...

Your first trip to the cabin at just 6 weeks old- Memorial Day...

The way you loved your bath... and your great hair!

How much you loved your jumper...

How much you loved to nurse...

The way you have always loved and been in awe of Daddy's big red truck...

Your first ride in the boat...

Your big beautiful eyes...

and the way you have grown and changed so much!!

We love you soooooo much and know that you are going to be the best big brother ever!

Love Always,
Mama