I have to fight sometimes to make him hold my hand when we walk in a parking lot. He’s happy to cuddle all day long and be held, but he’s not into holding hands. This is interesting because his older brother Ollie, who is eight now, has always loved held hands. Since he first started walking, he was happy to hold my hand. Even now that he’s older, he still enjoys holding my hand while we walk. It’s endearing, and I’m glad that he feels that he can connect with me that way.
As I was cleaning up the house and winding down for the evening the other night, I noticed Ethan was walking around the house holding his younger brother Lucas’ hand. There were these moments when Lucas would get distracted and let go of Ethan’s hand. Then Ethan would rush over, put Lucas’s hand in his, and then they would happily walk side by side, hand in hand, around the living room.
Maybe Ethan sees holding hands as a way to help others. Ethan likes being independent so maybe he doesn’t want to hold my hand because he sees that as a way of taking my help. While this is annoying, especially at times when he needs to hold my hand, I find it wonderfully heartwarming that he wants to help out his baby brother.
*****
I don’t think Buffy has ever spent a whole night in bed with me. Sometimes I will pick her up and bring her into our bed and cuddle with her. I pull her close and put my arm around her or I spoon her. Her soft fur is comforting and warm and I enjoying hearing her breath. Inevitallby after about fifteen minutes of cuddling Buffy is done. She gets up and goes to the foot of the bed. She usually only stays there for five minutes and then wants to get off the bed. She used to jump off on her own. Now that she is older she will while and I will pick her up and put her on the ground.
Almost every night for the past month, when we go upstairs for the night Buffy pushes open the door to Ollie and Ethan’s room. She jumps up onto Ethan’s bed, sniffs around for a second, and then settles down for the night. Buffy will then sleep there the whole night with Ethan. One night last week, Ethan woke me up upset that Buffy was in his spot. I walked Ethan back to his room. Somehow buffy has ended up on his pillow. I moved Buffy and helped Ethan settle in bed.
During the day Buffy doesn't like it when Ethan pushes her or kicks her, but in the nighttime, it’s different. One time when I went to check in on them, Ethan was kicking his legs out and hitting Buffy and she didn’t move. Ethan ended up using Buffy as a footrest and instead of getting up to leave she lay there. I whispered to Buffy, “hey you want to come to our room.” She looked at me, closed her eyes, and as she exhaled her body relaxed into the bed.
I’m so glad that Ethan knows what it’s like to sleep with a puppy at the foot of his bed. It warms my heart as I go to sleep, knowing that they are together.
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