Little Brother really enjoyed having Big Brother home during March Break. Even though I go through a ton of more food and spend a lot more time cooking when both boys are home all day, it actually is easier to cook when both are home. Big Brother is an excellent distraction. The usually stove obsessed Little Brother isn’t clinging to my leg trying to climb up me or underfoot trying to squeeze around me. Instead following his easily annoyed brother’s every move. If Little Brother isn’t invited to play cars with his Big Brother then he’ll just take which ones he wants. Big Brother is also great at telling on Little Brother’s every move. “Mom, he’s climbing the chair.” “Aaahh Mom, he’s trying to get in the bathroom.” “He’s touching the buttons on the washing machine!”

During March Break I got time to cook breakfast before the kids woke up. Big Brother slept in because he didn’t have to get up for school and Little Brother slept in because he didn’t hear Big Brother up and getting ready for the day. Being the nosebag that he is, Little Brother wakes up at the first sound of Big Brother starting his day, becoming Big Brother’s tail from the moment he wakes up. The sibling fighting has started and most of the time I laugh. It’s not funny to either kid when it happens but my sister and I had almost exactly the same age gap between us and I guess I just find it comical. Little Brother cries if Big Brother doesn’t share or runs away to his room. Big Brother will yell for help from me when Little Brother grabs a hold of his hair for whatever reason. Big Brother, he’s older so he knows his brother is still a baby and if he pushes him off or away he’ll hurt him. So he will freeze and yell for help. For how much his Little Brother annoys him he sure can be sweet towards him. If Big Brother is watching a movie, you can count on Little Brother pushing the power buttons on the TV or satellite. “Mom, he just shut it off! I’m going to miss it!” I’m sure that my baby-distracting tattletale is enjoying his time away at school again.

On Big Brother’s first day back to school Little Brother sat at the front door after he watched his brother go out and cried for a good ten minutes. He stood up went and got his blankie and sat with his back to the door sobbing. He was inconsolable. I would try to pick him up and he would just throw a fit. All I could do was wait and try to pick him up again and then wait for him to want me. Finally after a half hour he reached up for me. I sat on the couch with him and he just had his little face in my shirt crying. It was the saddest sight. His face was so red and he was sweaty, he really was upset that his brother left. A few minutes after he finally let me hold him he calmed down. I sat on the floor and played with him. I dumped his toy box and he was happy for a while. About lunchtime Little Brother climbed up onto the couch we have in front of the living room window and stared at the road. He babbled to me for a bit and then looked out again. We watched an episode of Sesame Street since it was raining. It would have been a good day to play outside. You know maybe make his wait go by faster...He seemed to be spending the day waiting for Big Brother to get off the bus and walk through the front door.

I tried to get Little Brother down for a nap three times. Each time that I would be rocking him and his eyes would close he would jerk awake and slide down off the chair. He’d stumble his way to the couch and climb up to look out the window. Little Brother finally crashed out ten minutes before Big Brother’s bus pulled up. He was so tired that he didn’t move a muscle when Big Brother came in the door and slammed it and loudly announced that he was home. Poor Little Brother missed that moment he played the waiting game for.