Siblings

Nate and I have been doing a lot of talking about how our kids will interact when they get older? Will they be close, will they fight and how much? Obviously we don't know what they will be like until they are older however, now they love each other. They don't know what personal space is and one always wants to be with the other. Whether it's Cece crawling into Arlo's bed in the morning and hearing over the monitor that she missed her boy. Or Arlo aimlessly following C around like a cute blonde dog. They share and fight and hug and kiss and then push each other, it's a cycle we have grown accustomed to in our home and Nate and I usually let them work it out.
Big Sister, Little Brother.
Cecelia and Arlo.
Nate never had a sister and I never had a brother so we are unclear how this relationship will grow as they do. We remind them everyday that they are each other's best friends and no matter what their love for one another will be something they can always count on, along with our's of course. But Nate and I are all to aware that one day (hopefully many,many, many years down the road) we wont be here, and each other is all that they will have to remember their childhood and the way that we raised them, and the special things we shared as a family.
We try everyday to make our time with them special. We tell them we love them and show them as much affection as they allow us to. But ultimately their relationship will always lay on each other's shoulders, and for Nate and I we had a different experience growing up then they will have.
Big sisters can be mean and little brothers can be annoying and when they fight they can't wrestle it out or scream relentlessly at one another like we did with our siblings. They will need to learn how to be respectful of each other and when they don't agree or things are strained between the two of them the will need to navigate it at their own pace.
Nate and I always hope they are watchful over the other and that they will always be the people they can't count on for anything. We understand that they might never have another sibling and this is our little family, we understand that Cece might not have a sister to confide in or Arlo a brother to constantly wrestle with, however they do have people in their lives that fit those molds to a T. They have friends that they consider to be a big brother and little sister and we of course love them like our own and for those friendships our children will have growing up we cherish them.
However, it will never be what C and Arlo have with each other. They balance each other out like I believe most siblings do. My sister and I are complete opposites. Nate and his brothers are very different in their own ways. But the love for each other is there and never wavering in our years of being grouped by the same parents. We never choose our siblings but I don't doubt for one second we would choose differently.
I love the challenge that C and Arlo's relationship brings to our family. They are almost 3 years apart and I know they will have times in their lives that they will be harsh towards one another and not understand what the other is going through, but I hope that they remember their love for one another as well.
The other day Nate and I were in the family room and C and Arlo were running around playing and while they were playing in the kitchen, I hear C simply laughing and saying "I love you boy, I love you." I had to bit my lip from being that over sensitive Mama that cries at such simple words, but the way she said them the tone behind the words is what almost brought me to my knees. He was just laughing at her and they were giggling together and he might not be able to say the words back or even grasp their meaning but I hope he could FEEL the meaning behind them.
Our girl is ever loving she sizes people up right away and if she likes you she loves you. She wears it out in the open for those to see and I know one day it will result in heartbreak, but I hope her openness rubs off on her little brother who desires his own space through out the day. When he is angry or just upset he finds solace in a few different hiding spots in our home where he wants to be left alone. He may only be one but the boy knows what he needs to do to calm himself down and it's does not consist of hugs and kind words. He will have a hard time allowing anyone to comfort him when he grows let alone allowing some one else to see his true feelings. Like I said they balance each other out.
It's confusing and frustrating at times but the most remarkable thing as a parent to watch these two kids grow together, learn from their mistakes as siblings, love one another because they don't know any differently and hopefully as they grow older like and love one another for the people they become. As selfish as this sounds I hope their relationship is strong because of the guidance of their Dad and I. I hope their relationship with each other will be a starting point to how they should except their relationship with others to be. That they deserve to have the love and devotion of others because they know what it's like to have it in their everyday lives from us as their parents and from each other as siblings.