In the months leading up to August’s arrival, we prepared Alden as well as we could for what was coming. She internalized the fact that the baby was somehow inside of her mother (I still haven’t quite internalized that part) and that when the baby came, she would “help take care of it.” The thing she was most excited about, almost from the start, was the prospect of feeding the baby with a bottle. When she visited him in the hospital on the day he was born, she demanded to have a go at feeding him. When we explained that he wasn’t quite ready for a bottle, she was obviously disappointed.

Yesterday, however, we decided to see if the time had come.

I took the first pass. It is a special moment, feeding your kid for the first time. August took to the bottle right away.

Alden watched closely to make sure I was doing it right.

Apparently I wasn’t. She demanded the baby, that she might show me the proper approach.

I must admit her technique was sound. And you’re probably wondering: how did she feel about feeding the baby after months of pent-up anticipation?

The smile says it all, I think.

As for Kato, who has for the most part scorned and otherwise ignored his little brother, the feeding represented an opening to strut his stuff.

And did he enjoy himself? I think he did.

In fact, I know it.

Mealtime concluded with a kiss. Kato didn’t stick around for this part (girl stuff), but Alden made sure that August knew how much she had enjoyed their first feeding.

I’m so glad they’ll have these pictures to look at together some day.

Now that we are liberated by the bottle, I’m sending Robbi off to the movies tonight. I believe it is Mission Impossible on the slate. Which might be a good way to describe the prospect of getting the little man through 2+ hours without his mother. We’ll see. I’m no Tom Cruise, but I do have Alden to assist.