Jealousy is in the Eye of the Firstborn

NEWS FLASH: In case you haven't heard, we found out the sex of the baby due in July! It's a boy!

The other day my husband, C, and I were visiting a friend who was in the process of moving. Our friend had her infant with her, and of course I had C, so I was happy to watch the two children while my husband helped her move a few things. The three of us went out on the balcony, which thrilled C and kept him away from all the cleaning chemicals and heavy objects carried by lumbering husbands.

Now, spending time with an infant invariably gets me to thinking about our baby due in July. Spending time with my friend's little girl gets me to hoping that my next child will be as easy going, or at least more easy going than C was. And, of course, being with an infant obligates one to coo and tickle their cheeks.

At first C was as excited as I was about this small human. He loves to point at things and have me name them, so he pointed at the baby a couple of times and I excitedly informed him, "Baby!"

Click to wook at dat wittle smile!

But of course the baby wasn't going anywhere, so as soon as he figured that out, his attention drifted to other things, such as his daddy walking below on the sidewalk. My attention, however, kept lighting on the baby, and C soon noticed.

Confused, C kept looking at the infant, and then at me. His brain was desperately trying to make connections that its just not old enough to make. Why is mommy talking to that baby? Why is she NOT talking to me? My world is upside down!

I sensed trouble, so I sang a couple of kid's song that I figured would entertain them both. I concluded with the Itsy Bitsy Spider because it is C's favorite, but it was too late. When I looked from the baby to him, I did not see a smile. Oh no. I saw the pouty lip.

C never uses the pouty lip! He'll whine, he'll cry, but he rarely sticks that lip all the way out. And let me tell you it is adorable. At least, it's adorable for spans of a second or so, and thank goodness, the poor boy smiled when he saw me looking at him again. We were only there with his rival for a handful of minutes after that, so let me assure you that C survived the encounter with ego intact. Unfortunately that brief frown was a glimpse into the future. I'm going to see a lot more of the pouty lip, and probably more whining and crying, right after his younger brother is born. I'm trying to store up extra patience ahead of time. Wish me luck!