Jack’s Getting a Baby Brother
“Baby! Baby!” Jack tells everyone
Excitedly as he leads them—
Chubby little legs pumping—
Down the hall to the nursery
“Whee!” He plops his stuffed
Elephant in the baby swing
And gives it a hearty push
Then another – he is sooo happy
“What does an elephant say Jack?”
He raises his arm in an eerily
Correct Nazi salute, or, an elephant
Trunk trumpeting – grinning wickedly
(Jack, not the elephant)
Then, takes the grey guy to the next
Baby seat – a bouncy contraption
Nearer the floor and gives him a ride
On that too – Grandma has visions
Of the new baby being jostled severely
But Mom assures her they will be
“Keeping a close eye on enthusiastic
Big brother who so much wants to help ...”
In less than a week, James will be the fourth
“J” in this family of “J’s” – my doing, I’m afraid
They had thought to name this child Owen
But I protested, saying – what if you don’t
have another child? He will be the only non-J
It seems a small thing maybe, but I refer to
Them, as a family, as a group, as “the J’s”
And so do many others – would it be right
To have three J’s and an O? I don’t think so
And me, swearing to never be an interfering
Mother-in-law, mother, grandmother – am being
Just that, it seems – so tried to butt out gracefully
But – it seems my work there was done –
They immediately started considering only names
That began with “J” – whew – disaster avoided
At least he’ll know he’s welcome in the land of J!
As for Jack – as enthusiastic as he is
He’s also touchy and more closely
Stuck to his mother than ever ...
A perceptive little person, he knows
His world is about to be rocked, I think
And it’s something to behold in one so young
This propensity to be tough, to try not to cry
I can even see him grit his teeth at times
And look away – not always of course
Sometimes he just dissolves and wants his mommy
But sometimes he makes heroic efforts
To be a little man and that’s heart-breaking
Where does he get that kind of courage?
Neither parent demands it of him
And of course, his Grandpa and I are mush
So how does he know he needs to develop
This inner strength already? He won’t be two
Until August – an old soul? Maybe so ...
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