Little Bobby Terwilliger sat on the couch beside his mother, curiously eyeing the infant in her arms. Though Bobby was excited to be a big brother, he'd never seen such a small person before, and he marveled at the baby's little hands, little feet, and the tiny fingers and toes. For all his talk of wanting a younger brother, it almost didn't seem real now. Judith took her eyes off the newborn and met her first son's gaze.
"Bobby, would you like to hold Cecil?"
Bobby nodded, and Judith carefully placed the baby into Bobby's small arms, showing the four-year-old how to support Cecil's head. Bobby looked directly into Cecil's dark eyes, and the baby's face was blank. Bobby petted the fuzzy hair on the top of Cecil's head. It felt like Bob's own hair, just shorter. Now he didn't have to be alone in having strange hair. Now that Bobby held the warm, tiny, squirming body, it all seemed real. He grinned.
Moments later, though, Cecil began to cry, and Bobby's eyes went wide with worry. He glanced at his mother.
"Mama, did I do something wrong? Did I scare him?"
Judith smiled, but her eyes looked tired. "Calm down, dear. I believe he's merely a bit fussy."
"Oh, good," Bobby said. He never wanted anyone to be scared of him, especially not his brother.
Gently, Judith took her second-born from Bobby's arms and rocked the baby until he quieted down. Throughout this, Bobby never took his eyes off Cecil.
"When will Cecil and I be able to play together, Mama?"
"In a couple of years, darling," Judith said, cradling Cecil in one arm and patting Bobby's shoulder with her free hand. "Patience is an important virtue you still need to learn."
Baby Cecil grabbed hold of Bobby's finger, and the proud big brother smiled.
"You'll see, Cecil!" he said. "When you're big enough, we're going to have a lot of fun!"