He was just so tiny when he was born! I remember his long arms--longer than any baby's arms I've ever seen. And his little white patch on the crown of his head. I remember how easy he was to bring into the world and how easy it was for me to love him the second I saw that screaming little face.
I was worried, to be honest, that I wouldn't love him as much as my Henry. And it was hard, SO hard, those first few weeks. I struggled with being a Mama to two; how could I give Henry the attention I wanted to give him while still holding and cuddling my newborn, which I really wanted to do? I found myself struggling sometimes, almost wishing I hadn't jumped in to being a Mommy to more than one. Oh, but then I'd look down at my little baby, that sweet little Johnny, and all that frustration and fear washed away.
Gosh, I just love him.
He's been so different than Henry, and I love that. He's much more vocal, he tells us how it is. He grins and giggles just like his brother, but like John, not Henry, if that makes sense. He's much bolder. I know he's going to give me thousands of mini heart attacks as he pushes boundaries and tries everything. I love that about him.
I love how Johnny loves so many things. Like food. Oh man, that kid can pack it away! I remember shortly after he was born, Derek was home on a Saturday and said "It feels like all you do all day is feed John." Yup. And that hasn't changed. One year later, and I feel every minute all day is just before snack/meal time or he just finished a snack/meal. He's our little Chubs and we love him for it.
He loves animals. His first word was Edie, the name of Nana's dog. He still loves all animals that he sees and gets so excited to see our cat first thing every morning. He pets her so gently, "ki-ee" he says, rubbing her head.
John loves his brother. So much. He lights up when he sees Henry, something he's done since he was a newborn. He grins and says "hi!" when Henry wakes up from a nap, and crawls to him as fast as he can. He wants to play with Henry all the time. He wants to do everything Henry is doing (much to the annoyance of Henry, but oh well.)
John just loves. He loves people and things. And we love him back.
When John was two weeks old, we took him and Henry to see Inside Out, the brand new Pixar movie in theaters. Derek and I both wept in the opening scene as Riley's Mom and Dad said hello to her the first time. The baby in the movie was nothing but pure Joy for just a few moments, and we felt the same about our Little John. While PURE Joy only lasted a few minutes (as in the movie) all the other emotions that have shown up with Johnny have been an adventure and a blast.
Our Little John Man has been the best addition to our family. I can't believe he's been with us for a year now. A whole year of Johnny Wellington! And I can't wait to celebrate his life tomorrow, on his birthday. My little number one.
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