Benjamin and The New Arrival

Now that we're a family of four, we're often asked, "How is Benjamin reacting to his new sister?" Well, Calliope's been home for almost two weeks, and so far, we haven't had any problems. In fact, Benjamin actually seems to enjoy having her around.

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When her pacifier falls out of her mouth, he tries to shove it back in. When she's in her pack 'n' play, he likes to peek in and check on her. And when she starts crying and I don't respond immediately, he alerts me by yelling, "Mei-mei CRYYYYYYYYY!" Vince and I are pretty relieved by how it's been going. And who knows why he's responding so well? Perhaps it's because he's only two years old and doesn't know the meaning of jealousy yet. Perhaps it's something inherent in his nature. Perhaps it's because they look so much alike that Benjamin feels an odd sense of deja vu when he sees her.

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Maybe that last reason is a bit of a stretch. But you have to admit there is a striking resemblance!
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Unfortunately, there have been a few occasions where Benjamin's exhibited some uncharacteristically posessive behavior. The other day he tried to bogart Nolan's ice cream cone...

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And then there was an incident in which Benjamin forced his way into a two-seater wagon when it was already fully occupied...

. When I see behaviors like these, I can't help but be concerned. Is he starting to act out? Is he going to start rejecting the presence of his new sibling? But just when I really start to worry, I witness something like this:

Brings a whole new meaning to the phrase, "kill them with kindness," eh?