Anecdotes

I had given Perry some meatballs earlier today and when he finished them I took him out of his seat and left his bowl on the table. Then I went out to do the laundry. When I came back in, he had put the bowl with the left-over meatballs on the floor. He was squatting beside it and in front of Daisy (now 6 months)--trying to give her a bite off of his little plastic fork and saying "meatball" over and over again. Daisy just licked her lips. In his mind I guess this wasn't very new. For quite some time now he's been trying to stick a pacifier in her mouth. And he frequently tries to stick his own fingers in there. So why not food? Never before has she so enjoyed what he's given her. It was so cute! I stopped him and told him that it was very sweet of him, but that she was too little for his meatballs. Then I told Daisy that her brother must love her so much to share his yummy food with her. She smiled and laughed--I think she can tell he loves her.

I often tell Perry to go talk or sing to Daisy when she gets upset. And he usually succeeds in cheering her up. While washing dishes today I heard Perry laughing and I peeked my head around the corner into the living room. I could see him lying on his side next to Daisy on the blanket that lay on the floor, smiling and talking to her. The other day I was sitting on the sofa burping her and Perry was sitting next to me. Like her age dictates, she was sticking her tongue out. Perry thought this was hilarious. So he started sticking his tongue out at her, with intermittent laughs.

I guess this is all to answer the question I hear so often: "How is Perry doing with his younger sister?"

Now when he's been separated from her, he looks forward to seeing her again. Like when he wakes up from his nap or when she wakes up from her's, or when he's been visiting my in-laws down the street. He longingly calls out her name now just as often as he calls for "Mommy" or "Daddy." It's heart-warming to see him start to show love for her, and to see her genuinely return his love the only way she can--with a smile and a giggle.