Bond of Brothers

Since the day he was born, Chase has been completely in love with Riley. If he's upset, all Riley has to do is look at him, and he'll get a huge smile on his face. If Riley talks to him, it's like his whole world is complete. It's funny, it's like Riley understands him in a way that we can't. He always knows just what to say to him. If Chase is crying, he'll tell us why, and the crazy thing is, he's usually right. It's as if he somehow intuitively knows how to differentiate the cries.

The same is true in reverse. After Chase presented him with a Red Sox baseball helmet at the hospital the very first time they met (on the day he was born), Riley has thought he was the coolest thing ever. He loves to talk to him, make faces at him, sing to him. He likes to talk about how he's going to teach Chase how to do this or that and how Chase is getting so big. He loves to show his friends and his teachers and total strangers "his baby". He likes to give him toys and to "share with him". He likes to feed him, to help change his diaper and to put him to bed. He will run all over the house looking for a paci if he thinks Chase needs one, and will sit calmly next to him while he settles down enough to take it.

There is nothing I love more than watching the two of them interact.

Today as we were sitting in the kitchen, Riley eating pancakes on the island and Chase sitting in his carseat on the floor drinking his bottle, Riley looked down at him and Chase gave him a big grin. Riley hopped down from his stool and started talking to him. Chase started making noises back at him. Riley turned to me and said, in his goofy half laugh, "Monny, Chase is so funny." I asked him why and he said, "He's so funny when he talks." We spent the next few minutes talking about how fun it will be when Chase is old enough to talk so that we can understand his words and when he can run and play.

A little while later, as I was packing up Chase's bottles for school, I overheard the two boys "talking" to each other. My heart almost melted when I heard the following: "Chase, you're my best buddy in the whole wide world." And Chase responded with a big grin and a squeal as if to say, "Yup, and you're mine too."