Speculation

Matt and I have spent lots of time speculating lately. We make guesses as to exactly when we think Nathan will make his grand entrance (current guess is August 24), what he'll look like, how he'll be like or different from his brother, what life will be like with two.

We're incredibly curious, though, as to how Patrick will react to his little brother. We can't decide whether he'll embrace his role as the big brother or rebel to the new little crying being in the house that steals all his attention. Or maybe he'll just ignore his brother altogether until he starts moving and becomes more of a nuisance.

I personally think it's going to be a combination of all those. At first, I doubt he will understand that this baby will be staying in our house permanently. He's at least somewhat curious about babies right now, so that may make the transition a little easier. I don't think any rebellion will start until he recognizes this attention-stealer is home to stay.

He is still a toddler, however, and with that comes plenty of tantrums, especially when he's so used to being the center of attention everywhere he goes. I think after a few weeks or months we'll start dealing with some bizarre behavior for Patrick, the kind that demands attention and defies us for the mere sake of being defiant. I hope I'm ready for this kind of rebellion, in the midst of sleeplessness that I'll be experiencing at the time.

But on the other hand, I know my son pretty well. He has a super sweet sensitive side. He's the kind of kid that loves almost to excess, who will run up in the middle of playing hard to give me a hug or lay his head against my leg for a second. He's the kind of kid who needs his alone time and sleep as much as he needs his attention. He won't be able to ignore these parts of him, and between the rebellious streaks, I think he will want to love on his brother. As they grow up together, I suspect that Patrick will be protective of his baby brother (who will probably be bigger than him by the time either starts school), even when he acts mad at him.

I'm not looking forward to the toddler rebellion or the sibling rivalry, but I can't wait to see my sweet little boy develop into the sweet big brother I know he can be.