She knocks over his carefully constructed Lego and he says "Oh, you want a turn Lilah, here you go."
She steps on his train tracks and he turns it into a game of the monster invading train land.
She sits in the tub of trains and tracks so he can't get any more pieces and he laughs and says "Look mummy, Lilah's in a boat, watch out for sharks Lilah."
She puts something in her mouth, he grabs it off her, she cries and he says "You'll choke, Lilah."
I lay her on the floor to change her nappy, he runs and gets a cushion to put under her head.
Sometimes he gets angry and yells "Move away Lilah-Lou".
She turns around and gives him a cuddle and pouts her lips for a kiss. He always obliges.
She eats all her food and yells, because that's what she does, yells. He breaks his in half and gives her some of his.
I worry he is taking on too much responsibility and explain that it is ok and Mummy can take care of things, he is allowed to eat his own food and sometimes say when he needs some Lilah-free time.
"Ok Mummy".
"Can I go outside"
"Sure"
"Can Lilah come too so I can push her on the swing and show her the chooks and we can dig for worms?".
She idolises him, despite the way she spends her days plotting how to aggravate him. When he has sleepovers at Nan's or Grandma's, she walks from room to room being miserable hoping he will appear and looks sadly at the other empty end of the back seat in the car.
Truth is, when we decided to have Delilah, I spent a good amount of time mourning the loss of Leo's only child status. The decision to have another child outweighed that of remaining with one, but still there was an element of sadness we often discussed around Leo no longer being the centre of everything.
From the moment she came into the world, Leo's universe of having everything, especially his parents, to himself would become one of sharing, waiting turns and also some sacrifices. I worried a lot about how Leo would adjust.
We deliberately found out whether we were to have a boy or girl and we were lucky enough to decide on a name early on, so "the baby" became "Delilah". We thought that then Leo would be able to understand a little better, "Delilah" was always in mummy's tummy, not "a baby" who suddenly became Delilah.
I don't know why he still surprises us, but he did, when she arrived he took it all in his stride. Everyone else was doing the stressing out while he adopted the attitude of "ok, she's here, just like you said, it's Delilah, what's your problem?"
Leo teaching Delilah about Marine Biology. Delilah two days old.
Leo showing Lilah Lego.
I guess I underestimated that the massive change in his world would also become one of having a partner in crime, adventure, love and playing.
It would allow him to become the protective big brother and develop into an even more amazing individual.
From the minute Delilah came home, he sat down and started telling her things she needed to know, took her through photo albums and pointed out important people in her life.
He took charge of bathing her and making sure she was comfortable at all times. If she got upset in the car he would say "ok Lilah" and start singing to her.
When Lilah was two months old, he got really sick and had to have a long stay in hospital. Despite not being very verbal at that age (he has always been more of thinker than a talker), he kept asking if Lilah was ok.
Then there was the time he sat down with her and handed over all his 'baby' toys one by one, explaining their meaning and how they worked.
Now I watch them together and I think he has adjusted pretty well, all by his own attitude. At 14 months and three and a half, their relationship is stepping up to that next level where he can take her on his magical adventures and she laps up every moment.
He gets frustrated with her and occasionally he will lash out, especially when he is tired. But then he turns around and hugs her and says the obligatory "Sorry Lilah" and all is forgiven. He doesn't seem to mind that she can't say sorry yet.
I wonder how long it will last. I'm sure there will be plenty of fights to come. In fact, I know there will be. I am a little sister myself, quite a practiced one actually.
And I can even hear my mother's words echoing back in years to come "don't take her out in that car". "Remember she is little". I'm sure he will get to an age when he is embarrassed of her, an age when he is wary of any boy hanging around her, an age when he needs his space and she needs hers. But despite all that I don't think he will ever stop teaching her, being proud of her and guiding her. And he is only three-and-a-half.
That's our Leo, the big brother.
(Delilah, the little sister installment to come).
Leo helping Lilah straw the chooks' nests.
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