Issue link: https://fredparent.uberflip.com/i/235797
Dadvice B101.5'S "CHRIS & DEE IN THE MORNINGS" CHRIS CENTORE SAY ANYTHING "We aren't babies anymore Papa!" is something I all too often hear. My boys are seven and five now, but in my mind they will always be my babies. Like most parents, I remember the day they made their way into our lives. Their tiny fingers clasping on to ours, and the confused look on their faces. It's one of those moments that I hope will never fade from memory. When our youngest was born, we were living in Boston. The good news was that there were plenty of family and friends for support. The bad news? We were living in what we called the "Treehouse Apartment." A two-bedroom duplex on the third floor. Not the best place for a family of four. Since we were renting, there wasn't much we could do to improve the place, but we did what we could by converting the tiny sunroom into a makeshift nursery. The crib and changing table fit and we fitted an accordion door to make it into a real room. Despite being cramped, we made some great memories in our little home. It was where Young NC crawled and walked for the first time and where he watched the Red Sox win a World Series with me. Six months later, we moved back to Virginia. The first time I held Little A, I couldn't help but notice his scowl. He literally looked like an old man yelling at me to get off his lawn. All I could think was that we were in for it. We had been fortunate until then with Young NC; he was pretty easy—he slept, ate, played, and for the most part listened. He was the only child, so he got all of our attention. Now we'd added the baby with the scowl. How would things change? Would he be jealous, mean, or just plain confused? Of course, we discussed it as much as we could with a 2-year-old, and did our best to let him know he would still be special to us. I'm not sure how much he really understood, yet he managed just fine from the first time he saw his baby brother, through the other day when they were fighting over LEGOs. They're brothers and I really love catching glimpses of them showing their affection. Little A's scowl has turned into the greatest smile I have ever seen and he is such a loving little guy. Young NC is the big brother and protector. He does a great job and I'm proud of him all the time. I recall holding them both as babies and asking "What does Papa have?", and they would answer, "Two babies!" I can barely hold them both today, and when I ask the same question they always say... 34 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • January 2014