Little Brother

December 14, 2013

It's tough being a little brother.  You share the spotlight.  As the oldest sibling, I wasn't really aware of this fact.  At least not to this degree.  But now, as the mama, it is clear that Shay shares a lot more than parents with his big brother.

Both kids are born on the 14th (Fin's birthday is today, Shay's is next month).  Although I haven't kept up with Shay's monthly mention over the last eleven months, I would like to write one for today.  It seems significant to me, more so than when Fin turned eleven months old, that there is only one more month left of this first year of Seamus.

Shay is super playful.  He is always looking for toys or things to put into his mouth.  He has established an commando crawl and he is very fast with his method.  He has chosen not to crawl in the traditional way.  This sometimes stresses me out a little but I am sure that he will develop just fine.  He is OBSESSED with standing.  He pulls up constantly.  Sometimes, I wake up in the night and he is pulling up on my shoulder IN HIS SLEEP!  This is even more humorous as he wears a sleep-sack when he sleeps.

He is cruising around the furniture whenever he can.  He even lets go and stands on his own momentarily.  He will crawl right outside and off the stoop if we left the door open.  He will crawl off the bed and cry with fury when we stop him.  He is adventurous.  He is a risk-taker.

He is in L.O.V.E. with his big brother.  Shay lights up like a CFL bulb at the sound of his voice, his heavy footsteps, or the mention of his name.  He follows him from room to room and wants to do whatever Finlay is doing.  If he can't figure it out, he'll just watch him with a focus Fin has never known.

He has a chuckle of a laugh that is reminiscent of his uncle Chris as a child (I can't be sure I remember his laugh as a baby but I can recall with clarity his laugh at 3 or so).  His smile is toothy.  Six-toothy to be exact.

He is a snuggler.  He nuzzles.  Seamus loves when I sit on the floor with him so that he can just play with a toy while leaning on my leg; he just wants to touch me and be touched by me.  He is acting strange (sorry Ontario) and gets upset if Tyler or I leave a room.  Sometimes, at meals, me sitting beside him is too far and he wails until he is secure in my lap and his food is in my hair.

He is 11 months old and we love him!