Brotherly Love

Lately, people are always asking, "How is Alexander adjusting to being a big brother?" It really is a legitimate question, so I figured I would devote a post to how things are in the Richins' home with two boys under 18 months. Since Alexander was born on August 11, 2011 and Jacob was born on December 28, 2012, that makes them 16.5 months apart. I have to be honest. Before having Jacob, I didn't imagine that they could really play together for awhile, or that Alexander would even grasp that he is a big brother. Boy was I wrong!

Alexander is adjusting quite well, and it is obvious that he loves his brother, Jacob, to pieces. From the moment he met Jacob at the hospital, he has been curious about who this little boy is. He even started petting him at the hospital. I say petting because it is the only way I can describe it. Whenever Alexander would pet the family cats at grandma and grandpa's house, we would always say "soft" or "gentle" and he would pet them softly. Well, that is what he does to Jacob too!

Another fun thing he does, happens in the mornings. Scott is great at helping out, and usually gets up Alexander in the mornings while I catch a few more minutes of sleep, or feed Jacob. Every morning, when Alexander is all ready, they come in the bedroom and the first thing Alexander does, is look for Jacob. As soon as he spots him (in either his bassinet or our bed), he squeals with delight and tries to touch him. It is so cute.

I thought it might be fun for you to see some of the moments I have caught on my camera of his curiosity surrounding his new little brother. Here they are:

Of course, Scott makes sure they have a lot of fun together too! He will play with them,  hold them together,  try to get Alexander to hold his brother, and even put Jacob on top of Alexander. Here are some fun moments they have already had together"

Of course every moment isn't all fun and games. There are moments when Alexander gets jealous of Jacob and climbs in our lap while we are holding him. Or he throws a little temper tantrum because he wants something, but can't have it at that moment due to us taking care of Jacob's needs (usually while Scott is at work and I am feeding Jacob). And there are times when Alexander is a little rough with Jacob, or tries to climb on top of him (like while Jacob is lying on his activity mat). Do we are still working on teaching him to be more gentle. And sometimes, having a newborn in the house is just tough. Newborns cry, and take up a lot of time. One day, while Jacob was having one of his crying fits (he is a much grumpier baby than Alexander was, but we are adjusting), I looked over at Alexander and saw him in the high chair covering his ears. It cracked me up so much, that I had to take a picture. Sometimes, we all feel the need to have some ear muffs, but we are adjusting. We all know that this too shall pass, and it wont be long before Alexander realizes that Jacob is truly his best friend. We just love them both, in those good moments and even in the tough ones too.

I do have to say that Scott and I are amazed at how much our little boys look alike! When Alexander was only a month old, we took a picture of him on his grandpa's shoulder, and we ended up loving the picture. Well, we decided it would be fun to take a picture of Jacob in the same position. When you look at the pictures together, it is amazing how much they look alike! Scott says that they were actually twins in the pre-mortal life, but decided to come separately so I wouldn't go crazy. Anyway, you can see for yourself the resemblance:

 
Alexander is on the left, and Jacob is on the right! The resemblance is astounding! We will just have to wait and see how much they look alike as they get older. Well, that about wraps up this post. We have two small boys, who mostly adore each other, and we adore them! Tune in next time for Valentine's Day :)