Brudders

Blogging has been a little tricky lately, what with *two* very energetic and now, mobile, little boys. I feel like I spend my day running in opposite directions shouting:

"Don't wake the baby!"

"Don't pick up the baby!"

"Don't put your feet on the baby!"

"Don't put that in the baby's mouth!"

Obviously, most of this shouting is directed at Colin. But despite the ever-present danger he poses to Archer, one thing is clear: he loves his little "brudder" so very much. 

To be honest, I cried one year ago today when I found out I was having another boy. Don't get me wrong: I love boys. I can even work up some enthusiasm for my little boy's very boyish interests: cars, Lego, cars, trains, cars ... But like every mother, I think, I would really like to have a daughter of my own. 

Perhaps it's the close relationship I have with my own mother that makes me feel there is something different about the relationship a mother has with a daughter as opposed to a son. It's probably just that women have more in common with other women than with most men. I don't imagine either of my boys will be too excited by the things that interest me: clothing, art, crafting, gardening, decorating, women's health, the writings of Virginia Woolf, etc. But if they did, wouldn't that be delightful?!

So it has been a bit of an adjustment for me to settle into the idea of being the mother of two boys. There might still be a daughter for me on the horizon, but I'm not holding my breath. After all, my husband has five brothers and only one sister, and I'm not willing to flip the coin that many times.

However, I will say that one of the unexpected benefits of having two boys is witnessing the delight they take in being brothers. There is nothing Colin loves so much in this world as having a little brother.    He asks to hold him at least 10 times a day. He gets protective if another child comes too near Archer. And just the other day, Colin and I were talking about the things they could do together once Archer is older. I don't think it had occurred to him before that Archer wouldn't be a baby forever. And so Colin started making lists of all the things they could do together once his little brother isn't so little any more: "play cars, play Lego, play cars, play trains, play cars ..."

And that enthusiasm is reciprocated. Archer is a very happy, smiley baby, but no one can get him to smile so big or laugh so hard as his big brother can. And bless his little soul, Archer is even laid back about the rough handling he receives from Colin day in and day out, which is good, because I'm sure he will receive a lot of it over the years. But hopefully, he will also have a best friend--something that is far too rare among most of the men I know.

So, in the end, I can't imagine a better set-up than having two little boys so close in age. Although next time, a girl might be nice.

P.S. However, if every little boy could be as happy and laid back as my sweet Archer, I would take half a dozen of them in a heartbeat!