Will They Get Along?

I would have to say one of my biggest concerns that came up in the month of January regarding the birth of our daughter had nothing to do with the actual birth, but rather how our son would react to having a new addition to our family.  I didn't have much of a frame of reference to go from as my brother and I are 7 years apart, almost a lifetime when you are that young.  With my son and daughter, the distance separating them will be about 2.25 years.  We had done as much as we could to prepare him for the eventuality of having a younger sibling, but how much could we really do when he is only 2.25 years old and can't fully comprehend the full impact that having a younger sibling will have on his life?  We read books about being a big brother to him, we talked to him daily about being a big brother and how we would need his help, and every night before bed, we asked him to kiss the baby in my wife's womb.  Some days he would say he was excited to be a big brother, some days he would say he wasn't.  And yet, every night before bed, he would still kiss his younger sibling good night, before she was even born.   The whirlwind of my wife giving birth two weeks early caught us all by storm, including our son.  Yet, despite being swooped up by his grandmother from our house the night before my wife gave birth, he did remarkably well.  His potty training went out the window for a week, but as we are starting to get back to normal, so is his pottying ability, at least part of it.  When we were in the hospital, he with his grandma to visit two days in a row and each day was excited to give his younger sister a kiss.  All in all, I think his fascination of having such a small child around trumps any ill will he may be feeling.  A week into our new life, his first stop upon coming down in the morning is to check on his little sister in her napper and make sure she is there.  Even when my wife went to pick him up at daycare yesterday, his first question was "Baby sister at home?"  It wasn't "Hi Mommy" or anything like that, it was to ask about his sister.  There still is a little tension, especially when I go to pick up my daughter and hold her.  You see, most of our daughter's time right now is spent with my wife, eating, being held, and of course, sleeping.   I have been running around, taking care of our son while we are all at home, and haven't had as much time with our daughter as I have with my son.  Yet, despite the fact that he doesn't want me to hold our daughter all the time, once I explain it to him, he settles down and moves on...most of the time.  I know there will be some sticking points, especially since he is approaching the terrible age of 2 and a half, the age where every response begins with "no" and upon further consideration might possibly change to "yes".  But for now, he is adjusting well.  I honestly feel that if he had a younger brother, he might be having a little bit harder time adjusting.   And there is always the fact that his little sister can't do too much to interfere with his way of life right now as she is essentially a lovable, breathing, eating, and pooping lump of flesh in human form.  I love her to death, I just don't love this first stage of life.  But anyway, both of my children hold equal spots in my heart and I will do my best to make sure that neither is more loved than the other, but rather that they are loved equally and I would do anything for both of them (within reason obviously).