“Good morning sweetie”, he
sings as he stands on full tippy-toe and reaches between the bars of the crib
to touch her soft, wispy hair. Ben is an
incredible big brother. Sometimes it
amazes me how adaptable small children are.
When I was pregnant with Kate, Ben and I would snuggle on the couch and
I would talk about my growing belly. I
would tell him that there was a baby inside and that she was growing a little
bit bigger with each passing day. When
it was time, she would come out and join our family. As a two year old, he could not possibly
understand the magnitude of how his world was about to change. But when it did, other than a few rough days
where the answer to every question was met with an angry “NO!” he adapted
beautifully. He loved Kate from the moment they met. He has never shown an ounce
of jealously, which is remarkable considering how much “time” she takes away
from him. He’s not always the gentlest
big brother (what two year old little boy is?) but his love for her is steadfast. He loves to hold her, pat her head and give
her kisses. He loves explaining things
to her as he plays. “Baby Kate, my front
loader truck is moving the rocks!” His
enthusiasm for her never waivers.
I always say that Kate looks
at Ben the same way a 13 year old girl looks at a 13 year old boy. She’s smitten by him. At her first immunization appointment, I
remember the public health nurse commenting on how closely she was watching his
every move. She’s been fixated on him since
day one. Watching, learning, trying to
engage him whenever she can. Kate rarely
laughs at anyone other than Ben. Just
last night she erupted into a fit of giggles when he splashed her in the bath. It’s as if they have this understanding of each other and it’s nothing short of amazing to watch their
relationship grow.
We are lucky that Ben was so
accepting of Kate when she arrived and that she is in such awe of him. I can only hope that their relationship grows
throughout the years in the same way that it began. With love, respect and devotion to one
another.
To
the outside world we all grow old. But
not to brothers and sisters. We know
each other as we always were. We know
each others’ hearts. We share private
family jokes. We remember family feuds
and secrets, family grief’s and joys. We
live outside the touch of time.
-
Clara Ortega
