Alex is the oldest.
Yesterday I was a bit whiny because of a multitude of reasons, and to be fair there was really nothing to that last post. I promised that I would come back today with something of substance. Well, this is substance to me anyway. 🙂
As I type this, our son, the first born is on a plane heading back to Hawaii. He has been visiting family on the mainland for the Summer and having the adventure of his life. Alex usually doesn’t get much face time on my blog. He’s not the baby/handful like Lenore, nor does he have any health issues like Raven. He is the strong silent loyal “Big Brother” who goes out of his way to take care of his little sisters whether they appreciate it or not.
When I came home from the hospital after Raven’s birth, I came home alone. It was a horrible day, and I remember the errie quite ride home as our baby girl lay in the NICU fighting for her life. Jon was home with Alex (only 18 months) and we were going to trade off on who went back to the hospital to be with Raven. Alex was not allowed to see his sister at this time.
After Jon had left, I sat down in the middle of the kitchen floor. For some reason, my legs gave out and I had to sit down. I wasn’t crying or anything like that….just overwhelmed with our nightmare. Alex was playing with his toys in the corner of the living room. I’m not sure how long I was there maybe 10 minutes or so when I felt these tiny arms around my neck. I looked up to find my tiny son had come up behind me to give a hug.
He then patted my head and said, “Ok, Mama“, before going back to his toys. Somehow he knew I was upset and wanted to help. It did for a while.
When I was very pregnant with Lenore, Alex and Raven were having a VERY bad day. Constant fighting, bickering and all that goes with siblings behaving badly. I finally could no longer take the stress and told the children that every time they fight, they cause stress to me which adds stress and hurts the baby. They were promptly sent to their rooms for a much needed afternoon nap, and I took the time to rest on the couch.
About 30 minutes later, I heard little footsteps on the stairs. At first I believed it to be Raven as she was known for sneaking down during nap time in an attempt to watch the TV. Much to my surprise, it was Alex (now 5) doing his best to quietly make his way to the couch without “waking” me. I pretended to be asleep to see what he had planned.
He quietly tiptoed to the couch, and placed his hands on my baby bump. “Shhhhh. Baby”, he whispered to his unborn sister…”Don’t be hurt and please don’t die. You’re going to be ok…take it easy. You’re fine….” and so on. He whispered a few more words of encouragement to my stomach, and then sat down in the armchair next to the couch.
He continued to watch me in silence until he fell asleep. It took at least 45 minutes for him to drift off, and all of my energy to remain “asleep” throughout the entire exchange. When he was fast asleep, I covered him with a blanket and got up to begin dinner but I will never forget that moment as long as I live.
THAT is what we have been missing all Summer, and that is who is coming home to us in a few short hours. We can’t wait. I’m glad I got the opportunity to share these stories about my son with you. While his sisters go out of their way to command our attention with their antics and girlie charm, he is always quietly and patiently sitting on the sidelines with a loving smile on his face.
We’re so lucky to have him.
