Sibling Lovin'

 Or perhaps a better title would be Sibling Squishing

Josh and Ben have been adjusting pretty well to their new little brother.  Whenever Josh speaks to Sam, he uses a really high falsetto voice and says things like "oh, he's so cute Baby Sam" and "look, he smiling you!"  I love the way he pronounces Samuel's name; Sam-U-all.  He still gets aggravated when Sam cries, but lately we've noticed that he only seems to get upset when we're in the 'cry it out' stage with Sam.  If Josh sees that we're actively trying to help Sam, like fixing a bottle or changing a diaper, then he's better able to ignore the crying.  Josh will also cry if Ben gets in trouble and has to go to a time out, so I think Josh is just a sensitive soul to the hurt feelings of others.  Josh has expertly figured out how to insert the binkie into Sam's mouth, though he doesn't have the patience yet to hold Sam's bottle properly.  Both boys are really good about fetching diapers, wipes or burp clothes for me when I need them.

Ben of course has to be watched a little bit closer around Sam because he doesn't realize that he shouldn't push hard on him, or try to sit with him in his little chair.  Knock on wood, but the passive aggressive stage seems to be passing.  He hasn't tried to hide the binkie or throw away the bottle in two weeks.  He's very clingy, often holding onto my legs (this is great as I'm trying to walk) and climbing up to be on my lap when I'm feeding Sam.  Luckily he's small enough that there's just enough room for him to sit next to me in the glider.  Ben is a total little copycat of Josh, so when Josh comes over and kisses or coos over the baby, Ben follows suit.  When Ben is alone with Sam, he pretty much ignores him.  Ben does like it when Sam smiles and laughs, often pointing it out and babbling to me.

We've been working hard on getting one on one time with all the boys.  David took Josh to see a movie the other day, and I took Ben out grocery shopping with me last night.  Josh gets his time at preschool, and Ben gets one day a week to go out to Grandma's house by himself.  All things considered with Josh's ASD and Ben's age, I think the boys are adjusting wonderfully well to the baby.