Gus is slowly moving into a new phase of his young life - seeing the need to be caring to others. He adores babies and crosses roads (and stops traffic, if he has to) to peek into a stroller or place a well-meant (not always well received) kiss on a bald baby head. He loves his little buddy Rion and shows that through numerous kisses and hugs, which Rion - ever his Momma's socially graceous son - receives with a quiet resignation.
When no babies are within kissable and hugable reach, Gus pours it on thick with Baby (his yet-to-be-named doll, which he himself picked out at the thriftstore almost a year ago). Baby sleeps with Gus, he tucks her in, lovingly, neatly, carefully. A fact that makes me smile seeing how he himself can barely stand having a blanket anywhere near him. He wakes up from naps, clutching her tighly to his little chest as he exits his room. She comes to sit for snacks and sometimes the two of them will have some sort of a tumble fest on the couch (I'm not invited, but I did play paparazzi for the above picture) that inevitably end in Gus cooing to Baby as she takes yet another nap (she is a good sleeper, whenever Gus is otherwise occupied, Baby naps, Gus will tell you that himself.)
He likes to feed her and share his juice with her (her fabulous outfit, by the way, was knitted in a day flat by Osi), she gets lots of kisses and she never refuses them. We count her fingers and toes and marvel how it always adds up to 10.
I remember feeling slightly weird buying my 14-month-old son a doll (shouldn't he have chosen the bouncy ball instead?) but knowing what I know now, I don't regret it. He is all rough and tumble eight hours a day, but he is tender and careful for that hour that he spends with baby every day. It feels good to see that in the son I'm raising to be a good nurturer to others someday - far off in the future.
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