I needn't have worried of course; I can't even believe how he's been this last 2 months, I didn't know it was possible for a 3 year old to love a baby so much and to be so patient and kind and loving. He hasn't once been jealous, or not that he's shown; he doesn't mind who holds Archie, if he's getting a lot of attention, if I have to see to Archie before him. None of it bothers him at all...thank goodness for him inheriting his daddy's laid back nature and not my impatient and jealous nature which made me a really difficult toddler!
Recently he tells me he wishes he was Archie's mummy. At first I asked if he meant his daddy and he told me no because it was mummy who did the feeding and bathing and nappy changing. They're the things he wants to do. He helps with pretty much every nappy change; wipe in hand, he copies what I do and then without fail he takes the dirty nappy to the bin for me. That's his job and he won't let anyone else do it. He helps to feed his brother, sometimes with a bottle of expressed milk, but usually just by holding the top of my boob while I feed, snuggled in to me and telling Archie, "I'm taking care of you, Arch." He constantly wants to cuddle him and smothers him in kisses, washes him gently with a sponge in the bath, takes baby toys and books over to him (dumping them on top of him!), asks him questions, sits for ages in front of him trying to get a smile out of him and tells him he loves him over and over. Recently he's started saying that when he's a man he's going to have lots of babies and has a little doll at Marmar's house that he takes great care of and cuddles in bed at night. When Archie cries, Henry tells us what's wrong with him. He's surprisingly accurate, distinguishing between cries "for a little feed" or cries "because he's got a little pain" and sometimes Archie apparently cries because he misses Marmar or one of his little friends and even once, because he was sad that it wasn't Christmas yet! Oh the imagination of a three year old. This morning I woke up with Archie and went downstairs to a plate of toast and a coffee all ready for me, simply because Henry had heard his brother awake and insisted that his daddy make me breakfast because "Mummy is awake and she'll be very hungry so we need to make her some food." He tells his daddy that I need a drink of squash because I "turn it into milkies for Arch" and once told me off for not drinking enough, insisting that I needed to so that his brother got enough milk. About a week ago I was in the bathroom putting on my make up when I heard Henry tell his daddy that Archie had done a poo and needed his nappy changing. Mr B said he didn't think he had but they checked anyway and lo and behold he had. For such a young child, I'm constantly amazed at how sensible, patient and loving he is with this tiny human, who has actually turned our lives upside down in a lot of ways. Gone are the busy afternoons of 'just us' and the mornings spent with Marmar and Parpar on his own while I worked. Gone are the cinema trips and swimming trips, the undivided attention and peaceful house. Of course we know it's all worth it, and we know that this newborn stage doesn't last forever, but Henry doesnt know that, which makes his reaction and attitude to his baby brother all the more lovely.
He'll make someone a seriously good husband one day and I hope that he's right and that he does have lots of babies too, because I have no doubt that he's going to grow into the most caring, kind adult (and because I want lots of grandchildren to look after!).
So if you read this when you're older boys, Archie you owe your brother a drink, and Henry, mummy owes you a drink too for making my life so much easier over these last few months. I hope that you and Arch, as you so affectionately call him, will always love one another just as much as you do now.
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