Siblings Forever

Miranda holding her baby brother, Paulo

Jamee sent this photo to me a little while back, and it really warmed my heart. Apparently, Miranda specifically chose and packed the le•top Strawberry Fields dress she’s wearing in her “hospital” suitcase (just like mom’s). She really wanted her first meeting with her new sibling to be special. They seem to be giving each other such deep, meaningful looks! Being the youngest (of only two kids), I’m not sure if birth order really has as much bearing as it might in larger families. I say this because I always acted like the first-born in many ways. And as for the relationship I had with my older brother, it was alternately very close for periods of time, and very…well…NOT close for other periods! Maybe my trying to usurp his first-born status had something to do with it? We were/are so different, and yet as adults, I notice how incredibly alike we can be in very subtle, and big ways, too.

Paulo in his I'm-going-home clothes, le•top baby, baby train (a gift from "Auntie" Chris!)

Through thick and thin, I have to say that I love my brother as I love no one else. He’s my one and only sibling, and I finally understand what my father meant when he used to admonish me for thinking friends were more “important.” Looking at Miranda holding her brand new baby brother, Paulo, I wish for them a wonderful bond that only siblings can have…and for the sake of their parents, I hope they develop that relationship with very minimal fighting! 😉

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Same-Same: and Oh, So Different!

I think every mother of multiple children has asked the question, “Why are my children so different from each other?” Oh, you could go into a whole discussion about genetics versus environment – first child syndrome, middle child syndrome – and “baby of the family” syndrome – but, as a mother, and now a grandmother, I staunchly believe that every child is born with a unique personality – and that no matter the other influences, this personality will conquer all in the long run.

My two grandsons – Otto and Wade – are perfect examples of “personality will win out in the end!” Otto (age 4 – brown hair and beautiful brown eyes) is always a little bit careful, requiring explanations of what is happening, why it is happening and what will happen next. He is very social – gregarious to the point of distraction at times, yet cherishing his time that is uninterrupted by his younger brother Wade. On the other hand, Wade (age 21 months – white blonde hair and startling blue eyes!) goes about oblivious to any perceived danger. He marches to some unheard drummer – and really does not seem to care if he communicates this tune to anyone! A fearless climber, he has already had a hairline fracture in his leg (sliding off a bed) and a dislocated elbow (who knows what happened…) – and yet he continues to challenge the odds and strives to defy gravity whenever possible. Their mother, my daughter Betsy, tries very hard to keep a constant eye on Wade – but somehow he manages to slip through and find mischief whenever possible. The photos of Otto and Wade demonstrate their differences:

• Wade eating the ice cream he had purloined from the freezer, all on his own, with a spoon he managed to extract from the kitchen drawer. The back view of his T-shirt says it all!
• Otto – sequestered away in a special place they set up for him in the attic – working away on his Star Wars Lego models – happy that Wade is not “messing up his stuff!”

We love them equally – and maybe their differences make it easier – because we will never mix them up!

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