Our children are only 17 months apart and we have often said that if we could have planned it that way...we wouldn't have planned it that way. Most people have 9 months to prepare for a new baby, we had less than 24 hours. Bubby had no warning really and one of the things I remember worrying about was what he would think. Afterall, he was our world, the center of attention, the one and only. The one and only part is important because a few weeks prior to the Princess's arrival, Phil and I had finally gained some peace from God on that issue. We knew we couldn't have anymore children and were struggling with Bubby being an only child. It still amazes me that when we give something over to God, he meets us and knows our desires.

Back to no preparation, the night the Princess arrived Bubby was spending the night with my parents for some reason. He wasn't even 2 and I remember calling him to tell him that he would have a new sister in the morning...how's that for warning!? When the caseworker brought the dirty, sad looking, soon to be Princess into the door, Phil and I instantly fell in love, moldy bottles, dirt and all. But that night, I lay awake thinking about Bubby and how he was going to react to this new change in our life. I remember praying, "God, just let him like her."

That next day my Mom and Dad brought him in and she was sitting in the carseat on the table. He crawled up there, took one look at her, and said "Thate's MY Kiki!" This was, of course, short lived and he has often been less than thrilled with her company. Since she could move around, she has always been that pesky little sister. She gets into all his stuff and at the age of 2 1/2 he slammed his bedroom door in her face and shouted..."GET OUT MY ROOM!" But he is also her biggest champion. He may be able to push her down, take her toys, and scream at her, but no one else better. When she sits in the naughty chair, which is a fair amount of the time, he will often tell me that she is sorry and needs to get up.

However, despite the love fest, there is one spot that he has claimed as all his own. He loves to go to Mimi's house by himself. When they would both go, he would try to talk us into taking the Princess with us so that he could stay. This week, Mimi called to ask if Charlie would come and help her plant flowers. Of course he said he wanted to. On the way there I said that the Princess would be going home with me. He burst into tears and said while sobbing, "But Mommy, Kiki has to go, I love her!" Then I cried too. I guess even a pesky brown eyed sister can creep into even the most sacred places in your life.