baby brother

This child is basically the most consistently wonderful thing about my existence.
He is the very sweetest gift God could have blessed my life with.
When ever I need it, I know I can go to him for a hug and a kiss 'to make it better'.
At least once a day we go through the ritual of taking turns whispering to each other:

"guess what." "what?" "I love you." "thanks. guess what." "what?" "I love you."

For the past couple weeks I have been his most requested bedtime buddy. As such my official job is to read and cuddle him until the lights turn off. Then we lay there in the darkness with his arm wrapped around my neck as I coo any and all lullabies of his request(usually something to the effect of the entire soundtrack of the Wizard of Oz...) until his tired hand is weighted with slumber and I can slip out from under it, leaving a quick goodnight kiss on the chubby little digits.

Tonight during bedtime stories(You are Special - Max Lucado) he announced with confidence: "God made my nose", with a giggle. This lead to pointing to various body parts that God had made and listing reasons why they were important, and why God thought we should have them.

"God made my belly!"
"Why would he make that?"
"I don't know Didi, you say."

His smile and insightful baby questions are a delight and a constant challenge. His intelligence and wisdom are often startling.
There I moments when I have to stop and catch my breath when he surprises me with a new glimpse of the real little person he is growing into each day.

The smallest repetitive nonsense will leave him breathless with uncontrollable giggles, which can leave the entire family crippled by the infectious-ness of laughter.
There is something so wonderful about the unbridled excitement of a three-year-old experiencing the world with wide eyed joy.

Whether it is our nightly dinning room production of the Wizard of Oz(which can have a cast ranging between 2-6 performers, depending on how willing the parents and other doting siblings will allow themselves to be), or the acrobatics of the simultaneous dinner and story time/sneak food attack system we have created to shovel food into this child, I cannot help but be entertained by the silliness and love that this family has surrounded our baby with.

I know with confidence that I'll always have a singing buddy/avid couch side audience member. Whenever I hum or sing a phase from a tune he hasn't heard yet the question that sometimes requires a trip across the house, but is always asked is: 'how you sing that song'.

This child also provides me with all of the excuses to watch movies musicals that I could ever want. 

The responsibility of being the one he most consistently comes running to when things are 'not fair' or when there is an ouchy that needs kissing or there is something exciting that needs showing, can be a heavy one, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. All the silly kisses, and kitty licks, and toothy smiles are so worth it.