Big Brother Bennett

While I was pregnant I was often asked what Bennett thought about having a new baby brother or sister. I could only answer that at 21 months he was pretty much clueless as to what was going on and more than likely we were going to rock his world.

Other than buying a baby doll and talking about babies for a month or so before the due date we couldn't quite prepare him for the impending arrival of another family member. I was a little nervous as to how he would react.

Almost two weeks in, my assessment would be "so far, so good."

Rob and Haley watched Bennett while we were in labor and brought him to the hospital in a cute "big brother" t-shirt. (I had thought about getting something like that...but hadn't gotten around to it.)

At first he was mostly curious.



He enjoyed hanging out in the hospital room with lots of friends and family around. He also loved the variety of snacks available to him.


Is it just me, or does he seem a bit unsure about this baby business?


B loves to point out Dayton's facial features. I get a little nervous sometimes as he attempts to identify her eyes with a quick jab or two.


The obligatory big brother kiss picture. He caught on to this quickly and now wants to kiss her all.the.time. Especially if she is crying.


Our family of four! Bennett was all pictured out but perked up when he discovered the "mote". He happily switched the lights on and off and called the nurses station no less than three times.


Gran stayed with B at our house while we were in the hospital. When we got home he was thrilled to see his daddy but wouldn't so much as look at me for a good 15 minutes.



But he eventually forgave me and more than made up for the cold welcome home greeting.


Bennett is extremely loving toward his little sister. When he wakes up or comes in from outside he immediately goes to find the "baybeesh" and make sure she is okay. He loves on her every chance he gets, as evidenced by this drive-by kiss that I barely managed to capture on camera.


Here are a few more pictures of Bennett and Dayton. My mom and I attempted to stage a photo shoot and quickly realized why we pay professionals for that kind of thing. We had fun anyway...







More Bennett cuteness of late that I want to remember:

* Thinks that Dayton should always be wearing a hat or a bow and is distressed when both are absent. Will often find a bow, bring it to me and insist that I put it in her hair.

* Runs to her when she cries and kisses her repeatedly. If he cant reach her he'll get as close as he can and make kissing noises in her direction. Or he will point to my chest and say "baybeesh eat!"

* Has learned to whisper...it is the cutest thing! I love it when he puts his finger to his lips and hushes us, "shhh, baybeesh night-night".

* Seemingly has no interest in calling Dayton by her name.

* Is talking in sentances from time to time. My two favorites so far are "I want you" and "where my dada doe?"


He is talking so much these days and is usually somewhat decipherable. But he uses some made-up words that require interpretation. My current favorite Bennett "words":

* bird = booboo

* drink = some unspellable sound made at the back of his throat (something like "ningining") accompanied by the sign for milk

* on = on and off = on. He knows the difference if we ask, but pronounces them the same. I got tickled when he was playing with a light switch the other day and repeating "On, on. On, on" as he turned the lights off and on.

* Anything he doesn't know how to say = dat

* Gran = Dane, Aunt Lisa = Shasha and Uncle Phil = Bo. (Bo?? Cracks me up!) This is a great improvement over pointing to family members and calling them "dat".


There is more but B is calling me from his crib, Dayton wants to eat and it has taken me over a week to put this post together...so it is going up as is. Hopefully I'll find a routine that allows me some blogging time. I have a lot to say!