Mister Mom

In the past few days, I have begun to notice that whenever I am tending to Z (for example, when nursing or changing diapers) and I am unable to give T my full attention, he has taken on the role of "mom" to his Blue Dog. He'll bring Blue Dog to me and say, "See my puppy? Isn't he cute?" or "I need to go lay Blue Dog down for his nap," all the while holding dear Blue like he is a baby. He'll even cradle Blue Dog in his arms and sway side to side as if he is putting his puppy to sleep. All of this, I feel, is a healthy way for him to cope with the change in our family and I think it is quite fun that he has come up with this idea all on his own. I have also noticed that the more I engage him in this activity, the less mischievous he becomes during those times when I need to focus more of my attention on Z. Yesterday, after having fed Z, I was attempting to get her to burp. T started getting kind of squirrely (i.e., looking for trouble) so I asked him if he had fed Blue Dog yet (I know what some of you are thinking but don't worry. T does NOT try to nurse Blue Dog, rather he gets some of his pretend food and feeds it to him). T said he had fed Blue. "Well, did you burp him?" "No, I didn't. I better go get him." After a few minutes, T returned, Blue Dog in tow. By this time, Z had burped and we had moved into her room for the ceremonial changing of the diaper. T proceeded to ask for a blanket for Blue Dog to be wrapped up in, as well as a cloth to burp him with. After fetching said items out of Z's dresser, T set about burping Blue. Little Miss Z could learn a thing or two from the pup.