My #2, Take Two

Since the 1st of the year I have one day a week when it's just Otto and Wren home with me. It's such fun to experience Otto as the only big brother on these days. It takes me back to what it was like when Max became a big brother to Otto.

On these special days Otto gets the chance to be Wren's hero without also having to navigate being a little brother at the same time. And Otto's taken to his role of big brother quite nicely. He loves tickling Wren's toes, doing tummy time with her and reading with us. The things Max loved to do with Otto when he was a baby and the things that are just more chaotic when all three kids are home. For me it's a little stroll down memory lane to be reminded of what it was like when there were only two, and have a "second take" with my #2.

I hear Otto a lot more when it's just the two kids. He talks more than I thought he did. When he was a baby I noticed how adorable his soft, lyrical and bubbly voice was. It's still there! His speech and words are so CUTE. Very different from Max, where I understood everything he said as though I were talking with another adult. I have to work harder to decipher Otto's words, but once I understand them Otto and I look at each other, like "Duh?!" Some of my favorite jumbly words of his right now are: doily, umbrella, spatula, strawberry and blueberry.

My friend Marie pointed out to me that when it's "just" Otto at home, I don't have to "age up" or "age down" when we're playing. What a difference this makes. Otto can pick what he wants to do and I can PLAY with him instead of getting pulled into a non-stop conversation with Max about what we're playing.

And this makes us both very happy. Look at this big brother's smiles...