Gus is 4!

We celebrated Gus' 4th birthday yesterday, as hard as it is to believe.  It feels like just yesterday we welcomed our little muffin into the world.  I remember being so worried about how the addition of another baby would change the dynamic of our family, about whether Hank would be able to handle the change with grace and ease etc.  Now, I cannot imagine our family without Gus.

He is Hank's faithful aid, always by his side ready with an echoing, "Yeah!" to whatever Hank says or does. Ask Gus what he wants to eat, and he looks at Hank before answering.  I have checked on Gus in the middle of the night and he has rolled over in his sleep to ask if Hank was still in the room. He opened birthday gifts yesterday and dutifully handed toys over to Hank immediately when he said he liked them.  A more devoted little brother does not exist.  This is not to say that they don't get into frequent and vicious fights.  And when that happens, Gus does not back down.  Hank will hit Gus, with all of his force, and Gus will taunt him by saying, "that didn't hurt." This, of course, drives Hank crazy.

Gus is also a (mostly, or should I say, reformed?) loving big brother to his little sisters.  He favors June and is often very gentle and loving with her.  He "hates" Dylan and has had a history of being quite rough with her, but I've recently noticed a new effort on his part to be affectionate with her as well. Trouble is, she is very weary of him after his history of abuse so she tends to start screaming whenever he comes near. He takes it personally, and then takes it out on her.  Its a vicious cycle! I'm hoping that all my talk of how 4 year olds are gentle with babies will help create a permanent shift in their relationship!

As Gus has approached four, I've noticed a rebellious streak emerging from our normally very compliant child, which is between you and me, very cute.  He clearly feels like a badass when he is doing something he knows he shouldn't do and the look on his face and his pronouncements of "I'm the man!" are priceless.  He is a genuinely sweet and gentle kid who is so generous with his affection that he is just a pleasure to have around.  Matt and I often ask each other if he is for real, he's just so dreamy sometimes.  Gus, you are the man!  Happy birthday buddy, we love you.