The fewest parades

Typically the third, fourth, fifth child in a family gets the fewest parades.  Benjamin is no exception.  I haven't taken nearly as many photos of him as of the other two.  I haven't spent nearly as much money on new toys, clothes, gadgets for Benjamin.  I haven't blogged adoringly about his facial expressions, the smell of his breastfed poopy diapers, or the nightly terror I have of being woken by a crying baby who can't breathe through his nose (he's got a cold right now...it's exhausting for everyone).  All those little details of his babyhood aren't being forgotten though.  And Benjamin is not being neglected.

Every day Luke and Seamus take turns holding Benjamin.  A few days ago Luke admitted to me that he loves Benjamin better than he loves Seamus.  "I love him more because he's newer.  And because he lets me hold him.  Someday I will carry him around like you do."  Today Luke decided he was strong enough to pick the baby up and stood beside the couch picking Benjamin up and putting him down, picking him up and putting him down, for a full ten minutes.  Later in the day I came in from the neighbor's house and Luke came leaping up to me grinning and shouting, "Benjamin spit up on me for the very first time!  All over me!  I'm not even lying!" 

I have also felt protective of my time with Benjamin.  I don't resent waking up nights with him at all because I get him all to myself in the middle of the night.  In the afternoon, during quiet time, I often skip a nap in favor of snuggling with the sleeping baby - what sane person with three kids, one of them a newborn, skips a nap?!  I've even taken to sharing my special alone time in the shower with the wee one, just to be skin to skin with the warm little bundle.

Derek and Luke nearly arm wrestled to decide who would feed Benjamin a bottle the other night, and Seamus is constantly stroking Benjamin's head and whispering things like, "You're a sweetheart Benjamin Harvey", in his ear.  We often find jam or chocolate or bread crumbs on Benjamin's head because Seamus just can't keep his hands off Benji's soft little noggin.  The first thing Seamus says to me in the morning is, "You're a good girl, Mom. But Benjamin's a good boy and you're not a boy but I'm a boy and Luke's a boy and Daddy's a boy, but you're a girl and Benjamin Harvey is a boy like me."  Luke refused to go to church last week without Benjamin.  "I want to have him with me at church.  I want everyone to know he's my new brother!"

Benjamin may not be getting a parade with a full marching band and majorettes.  But he's got his own little fan club, and we play kazoos that rock the casbah.