What It Means to be a Big Brother

We prepared Joey as much as we could for this trip and the changes that were to come. We’ve talked about how Samuel would probably cry a lot. He might be scared of us or angry. We explained that he would need to spend a lot of time with Mommy and Daddy learning to trust. We would need to feed him and take care of him in every way. And we told Joey how his little brother has not had a family and would need to learn that a family takes care of each other. To my surprise, Joey has adjusted so much easier than I expected. In fact, we have seen a great deal of compassion, patience, and love. It shouldn’t be that big of a surprise though given that we’ve prayed for this brotherly bond to form and grow. Joey has talked about having a brother far longer than we’ve been in this adoption process. He has longed for a constant playmate and that he now has! 

On the way to China, we repeatedly heard “I can’t wait to get my brother. It’s going to be so great!” And now all we hear is “my brother is so precious” quickly followed up with a quick kiss for his brother. And Samuel seems to feel the playful, loving attitude Joey has towards him. They play very well together. They giggle a lot.  They run and chase each other.  Joey is anxious to see Samuel first thing in the morning. He constantly gets in Samuel’s face and sings “cute little baby”. There are times that Samuel needs his space and Joey continues to shower him with kisses. We’re kind of working on that, but for now just enjoying this sweet bond forming between our boys. 

Our two little joeys at the zoo

The orphanage nanny said Samuel prefers a shower over a bath, 

which probably means that it was faster to shower all those little 

ones than have bath time.   

It turns out he's quite a fan of baths with his brother!

By the time the splashing seized, it looked like a 

tsunami swept through the bathroom.

When asked about being a big brother, this is what Joey said… 
I like baby-sitting. 
I like to play games with my brother. 
I like to watch shows with him. 

And he describes Samuel as… 
Precious 
Very Cute

A Starbucks date with my little big man!

Daddy and Joey snuck out for a little guy time.

I just had to throw this one in there for laughs.  I got up 

from my nap to find that these 2 guys sleep the exact 

same way.  One kiddo looks like Daddy.  

The other acts like Daddy.  We're in trouble!!!