R Meets Uncle J

My brother, J, has lived about 20 or so hours from where the rest of the family lives for about a year and a half now. He came home for the first time since moving last night. A and I traveled with my parents to visit him in Jan., but he hadn't yet met R.

Tonight we had a family dinner at my parents' house, and R and her Uncle J finally got to meet each other. R was confused... "Who is this guy who looks sort of like a combination of Uncle A and my Grandad?" J was kind of awkward with her at first. But by the end of the night, they loved each other. Doesn't surprise me. Babies always love J, which has always been a little weird to me. I know as R grows up, she is going to be lucky to have J in her life. He will be a fun uncle, and I hope that we are able to see him more often so she really does get to know him. When J and I were little, we were very close, but as teenagers, we resented each other. He thought I was a priss, and I called him "His Majesty" because he always seemed to get whatever he wanted. We get along just fine now, but we've never been close since then. I've probably only talked to him on the phone a few times since he moved away. I always love seeing him, but we're just so different that talking on the phone is awkward and uncomfortable. Email is much more our style!

I absolutely love to see my other brother, A, play with R. A is younger than me by about 7 years, and he just graduated from college. When A was little, I sort of always took care of him, and we have always been close. He is R's godfather, and I am so glad we picked him for that role. He clearly loves R (she cracks him up, too). They were sitting in the grass at my parents' and I was watching them. A had his arm protectively around R, and every once in a while he would lean down and kiss her on the top of her head. It was absolutely adorable.

J will be home for about 3 weeks, and I am looking forward to more family dinners and uncle-niece bonding time!