He notices her

Out of the corner of his eye, I see him steal a glance in her direction.

They are few and far between, but I notice.

I notice him, noticing her.

Adding a sibling into the mix has definitely been a lot for Sammie to take in.

His whole world got turned upside down, and we definitely had some growing pains. 

Cries of anger. Screams of resentment.

But, day by day, the outbursts of jealousy have started to fall by the wayside.

And, slowly but surely, his gaze has started to take her in.

I wonder what he thinks of her, this feminine mirror image of himself.  I wonder what he thinks when he sees her, adoring him and every move he makes. I wonder if he understands that he is, and always will be, her hero.

I wonder if he knows that she loves him.

I wonder if he has begun to understand that he loves her. 

That despite the chaos of this new world, she is exactly the sister and friend that he needs. 

I wonder if he wonders what she will be like when she grows up. Will she learn to speak? And if she speaks, what will she say? Will he understand? 

Will he respond?

There are still so many questions, but- more and more- the answers are creeping out.

Because he may not have noticed, but I saw him take her hand when she was crying in the car. 

And I saw him give her one of his trains to play with when she didn't have a toy of her own. 

And I saw him smile when she giggled, and smirk when she tried to crawl over him.

He may not have known it, but I saw it all.

I noticed him, noticing her.

Every time, better than the last.

Every time, a dream come true.

(Sammie meets his sister Charlie for the first time, February 20th, 2013.)