Siblings Without Rivalry (Briefly)

Siblings are a trip.  I didn't know quite what to expect with my kids.  They're 5 years apart.  While I was pregnant wit Eli I got the complete spectrum of guesses/advice/warnings on what their relationship might be like.  On one end we had the "It will be fantastic!  Elena will be a great helper and the baby will be in awe of her!" At the other end we the "They'll be too far apart to ever have anything in common.  Elena will be wicked jealous."  What we've actually experienced has been something in the middle.

There have been days when Elena has been over the moon about Eli.  She wants to help him, play with him, love on him, to the point of smothering him.  There have been days when she's been totally indifferent to him, where he might as well be a throw rug with personality.  And then there are the days where he is a plague on all humanity.  She can't slam her bedroom door shut or get to school fast enough.

There have been days when Eli has been smitten with Elena.  He wants to follow her everywhere, be into whatever she's into, to the point where any and all definition of personal space is thrown out the window.  There have been days when he's been little more than a detached observer of his big sister, days when he barely notices that's she been in school all day or that she's eventually returned.  And then there are the days when she is unbearable to him. 

When Elena can't possibly have enough of Eli, those are usually the days when he can't be bothered with one more intrusion into his space.  It ends with Elena in tears, after all his attempts to get her to LEAVE HIM ALONE with his few words have failed and he's resorted to scratching and pulling hair.  When Eli wants nothing more than to bask in the glory that is big sister, those are invariably the days when she can't bear for him to be within 10 feet of anything that is, ever was, or might be hers.  It ends with her bedroom door slammed in his sobbing face, his chubby hands pounding on her door.

And then, there are days like yesterday.  When all the stars align and there is nothing but brotherly and sisterly love. 

It was all about Underdog.  A game that frankly, I am too lazy and  preoccupied with getting thumped in the head to bother with.  Elena took charge and Eli loved it.

ONE!

TWO!

THREE!

UNDERDOG!

I have learned that when these rare moments of total bliss happen, it's best to just sit back and enjoy them.  And to take pictures.  Especially when those moments end with something like this:

For one, it's lovely to go back and look at the images again, to relive the moment and marvel at the sweetness.  But let's be realistic here.  Photos are excellent tools for blackmail.  As in, "See?  You like each other briefly in March of 2009.  I have the pictures to prove it."