Selfless Love

Anyone who knows Van or has been checking in with our family via this blog is familiar with Van's beloved elephant.  He has not spent a single night with out him since he got him.  It is literally the only stuffed animal he has ever played with and he treats him like his best friend.  I can't really put into word how much he loves this little green elephant.  It is the one thing in the world he REALLY cares about.  So much so that I let him hide it when friends come over to play if he wants too.  I really is asking too much of him to expect him to watch another kid play with his elephant.  He keeps it all to himself and always has.  I have rambled on a bit about how much he loves his elephant so you will understand why the picture below made my cry.

Van is always very attentive and very concerned about the well being of his baby sister.  It is super sweet and I love it.  He always says "it's ok baby girl" or goes in search of a pacifier or a bottle or a diaper (whichever one he randomly decides will make her feel better) when she fusses.  Well last week he revealed how much he really cares about her well being.  She was fussing and he ran off.  When he came back he had his precious elephant in his chubby little hands.  He put it next to her and said "this will make her feel better".  I just bawled!  His elephant offers him more comfort than anything else and he wanted her to feel that too.  He has never shared with anyone else ever but now he has shared with her on multiple occasions.  I have seen him lose it and cry uncontrollably when a little girl picked up his elephant for 10 seconds but he volunteered to share with his sister.  Oh and she does calm right down when he sets it next to her;)

For my sweet little 3 year old this is the most selfless form of love he could possibly offer.  I'm actually crying just writing about it.  I was truly worried for a long time about Van loving a sibling since he was so set against it (for like a year and a half!).  I have decided he just needed this sweet little girl and no one else.  When we went to Las Vegas in May to meet Brielle's birth mother, Amy, she invited Van to put his hand on her tummy to feel the baby kick and she said "that's you baby sister in there".  Of course this was a special moment for all of us and it made me cry but I think it was most significant for Van.  It was like at that moment, when she said those words, he knew it was true.   From that moment on he was excited for her to join our family.  It's like he recognized her sweet little presence and wanted her in our family.  Of course he doesn't love her every second and I'm sure they will fight at times like all siblings do but moments like these make me so grateful I get to be their mommy and witness this kind of selfless love.