I have no doubt that Jack is still a bit confused about the whole "Riley" thing.  'Who is this person, what was she doing in Mommy's belly all this time, and why has she decided now is the time to show up?'

But Penny has done an amazing job talking with him about it (and I, taking her lead, have done the same...I hope).  We've also read a bunch of books about big brothers and little sisters and they've been incredibly helpful (though I've learned to actually hate the Berenstain Bears; who tells a toddler that babies punch their older siblings in the nose?).  And it goes without saying that having Mikayla as a playmate has been great.

Jack loves to help with anything we're doing, from cleaning the floor to making dinner to going shopping; Jack aaaaaalways wants to help.  So tonight, as he was falling asleep and we were snuggling together, I asked him what he thought about Riley coming home.  He said, unsurprisingly, that he gets to help teach her things. When I asked what thing he said, "Walking, talking, eating pickles."

"Eating pickles?"

"Sure. And carrots...and mangoes.  And ice cweam (he still has that toddler lisp that part of me wants him to keep forever) and peas and chicken and cake and tomatoes and apples and...cake."

"That's good.  What else are you going to teach her?"

"How to talk, and take a baff and how to catch da ball, and fro da ball, and kick da ball, and how to wock in da wocking chair, and hit like da Cubbies."  He paused, and thought.  "And pwaying wiff my new wainbow umbwewa."

I told him that's he's going to be the best big brother.  "I love you Jack," I said.

"I wuv you too, Daddy."