Getting To Know Each Other

Ella and Grady are becoming fast friends!  The road hasn't always been completely smooth, but for the most part, Ella has taken to the fact that she now has a brother to share her attention with quite easily.  Here is how the friendship has taken shape:

Ella always says good morning baby Grady.  Mommy and Daddy do not receive such a consistent greeting.

She loves to give him kisses on his head and holds his little hands and feet.

If he cries, she is the first to point it out by telling me, "Baby Grady crying"!  She wants to make sure he is tended to.

Often says, "Hold baby Grady", referring to the fact that she wants to hold him.

When Grady is rooting, he will root against her cheek which she interprets as a kiss.  She will exclaim with excitement, "Oh baby Grady, kisses"!  She loves it when he does this.

She brings mommy books that she wants to read to baby Grady.  I do the reading, and Ella guides his hand over the pics to show him what is what.

She is mommy's little helper when it comes to changing diapers. She grabs the diaper pad, wipes, and  a diaper then patiently watches mommy make the change.

She says bless you baby Grady when he sneezes!

What has been hard is:
I can't lift her yet, and she sees me holding and feeding Grady.  This is when I always try to include her by reading to her and Grady while feeding him.

He sleeps in our room, so she has been waking up in the middle of the night about once a week or so and coming to bed with us.

She has hit and tried to pinch Grady a handful of times.  It is not the norm for her, but it does happen every now and then.  It is as if she is frustrated but doesn't quite understand why and hitting and pinching are her ways of acting it out.