Little Brother, Don't Cry!

I just have to post this because I was so touched by my sweet Ian. I sometimes get so frustrated with him; he is a 2 year old and is busy and independent and sometimes hard to handle. I know I don't always react to him the best, either, which often makes things worse. But despite the hard times (like potty training or reminding him not to ask the same question over and over or no, you can't have fruit snacks and Powerade for breakfast...) he can often be such a thoughtful, polite little boy, like when he says "thank you" when I hand him something, without any prompts to do so or how worried he is when mommy or daddy are leaving and when are they coming back. It's hard sometimes to keep perspective when there are trying moments, so it's good for me to remember that the annoying things are what I want to dwell on.

Today we took Cooper for his 6 month shots. Ian always gets pretty worried about this, because he doesn't like Cooper getting hurt. Usually the only thing that perks him up about the prospect is knowing Cooper will get a cool Band-aid (which we didn't even get today! dang it!). Anyways, so I told Ian he could hold Cooper's hand while he got he shots to help Cooper feel better. I was rushing around this morning getting ready to go to the appointment and I came in the living room and Ian was trying to force Cooper to hold hands with him. I said, "Oh, Ian. You don't need to hold hands with Cooper right now. But that is good practice for later!" Ian was seriously grabbing the hand, almost twisting it around trying to hold it and Cooper didn't think that was too cool. But when we got to the health clinic and the nurse stuck the first needle in Cooper's leg and he just started screaming, Ian, who had been preoccupied elsewhere in the room, immediately came over to where I was holding Cooper and held Cooper's hand for the rest of the shots, telling Cooper: "It will be okay."

So despite how much Ian can test my patience sometimes, I am SO grateful for moments like that when you see the sweetness and love of a child, especially for his little brother. I love my boys!