Today, however, we got a glimpse of Ezra the soothing and protective big brother. I took Annika to nursery while Ezra went to the bathroom with Christina. Annika was not having a very good day, so she was crying a little when I left, but she was more or less contented by the rocking chair and baby doll she was holding. While waiting for Ezra and Christina, I watched from outside as another girl tried to take Annika's doll. Annika, at that point, pretty much lost it. She was crying and holding on to the doll with all her might. Then Ezra returned so we sent him in and asked him to watch over Annika. Ezra walks in, finds his way through the dozen or so kids crowding the door, and heads straight for Annika. Then he does two amazing things: first, he wedges himself between Annika and the girl trying to steal her baby. Then he looks Annika in the eyes, grabs her shoulders with his hands, and starts to comfort her. It was a real moment--hard to describe in words. He was so authoritative. Such a protector. He showed real concern. He then took her by the hand, and walked her through the crowd of kids to a nice little spot where they found a xylophone and played together. By that point, Annika was all smiles.
It was really extraordinary to see his care for his sister. We didn't really have to tell him what to do--he handled it perfectly. And Annika has the utmost trust in him. She knows that he will protect her and not hurt her. They played together for the rest of the time in nursery, having a great time. It was a really sweet moment, seeing Ezra grow into the best big brother Annika could hope to have.
