Teddy loves Ollie

Teddy yanks Ollie’s arm like it’s an old school slot machine handle. Teddy positions his face 1/8 inch from Ollie’s, saying, “Ollie! Ollie! Ollie! Ollie! Ollie!” Teddy piles his little cars on Ollie in hopes he will play. Ollis is his baby. Not yours. Not mine. Certainly not Ryley’s.

Teddy and Ollie

One morning, Ryley sat on the floor next to Ollie, who was hanging out in his jumpy saucer. Teddy was walking down the stairs, freshly awake, when he spied Ryley talking to his precious. He gasped. “Ry-REE! You IDIOT!” Everyone suppressed bursts of shocked laughter, especially Ryley. Teddy sped down the rest of the stairs, ran full-force to Ryley, and tackled him.

Ollie is the first person Teddy seeks out in the mornings. I’m positive he will never remember life before his little brother. It seems amazing that I was deeply worried about Teddy accepting a new baby. Instead, Ollie is the person he was waiting for his whole life—all 26 months he had to endure for his baby were torture.

~newborn Ollie and newborn Big Brother~

~they sit next to each other in the van, often holding hands~