And before you know it, they'll be best friends ...

Having one child is a big change. To put it mildly.

Having two is just as scary. But for those of you now expecting a second child (you know who you are), don't worry, it's not all bad.

Just the first four months ... hahaha ... ahhh.

Seriously though, once you've done it once, you're more experienced ... which is both good and bad. You know how to do things and you also know how hard things can get.

When I was pregnant with Nate, I would sometimes be gripped with shivering panic at the thought of having another baby while we still had a baby.

I would go to Chris, belly bursting and wild-eyed with worry, and ask him what in god's name we were going to do.

He didn't know but he always said, "Think of them playing together. They'll be so close."

Having more than one kid, especially if they're foolishly close in age, has lots of negatives and lots of positives (just like having any child). The biggest positive I can see, though (other than the Do-Over Factor) is the Best Friend Factor.

They'll always have a friend to play with.

Granted, sometimes that "friend' will feel exactly like an enemy, as they try to steal your stuffed cats, your food and your parents' affection but your child will learn ways to deal with it ("No, Nate! No swipe car! Go see Mom, Nate ... GO SEE MOM!") and probably have better sharing skills in the long run.

Either that, or abnormally high levels of aggresion.

Here at RFEast, my two children are now officially friends. And it rocks.

It's the little things that give it away. Like how they've started "playing" together. Nate's always followed Mela around but now she's starting to chase him, too (she gives him "tickles" to make the grownups laugh).

When she was going upstairs yesterday, Mela gave a 10 minute goodbye speech that included a shoutout to her "best friend, Nate." She even told him she loved him. (She didn't mention that she loves her stuffed cats more, of course.)

They even had their first conversation yesterday. Of course, it involved cats.

Nate (who can say the cat's name but not "Grammie"): Parker?

Mela: No Nate, Parker's not here.

Nate: Parker?

Mela: Parker outside, Nate. No see Parker.

This may not sound very interesting but for a little girl who was devoted to ignoring her younger sibling for the longest time (and is also still learning to talk), this kind of thing is a big deal.

The sharing thing is not really great, of course (teaching Nathan to share is like teaching a rhinoceros to waltz) but we're working on it. So far the game they play best is running in circles and screaming.

Which is great, because it means I don't have to do it.

I wouldn't exactly say that all this sibling love makes up for the tough times (remember death valley??), but it brings joy to the heart, especially since this is just the beginning of a lifelong link.

Say click:
I've pretty much stopped talking pictures of the kids, since (1) we never leave the house, and (2) when we do, I'm too busy taking pictures of potential homes. But here's a few of the boy:

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Nate rocks the farmer look:
Nate finally gets his awesome birthday present from Matt and Lisa (Mama was waiting for a sale!):