Leo and Ellis

Last March, our friends Di and Ben welcomed their first baby, Ellis. It was a birth that was especially exciting for Lena and me since Di and Ben had forever (or at least ever since we met them in 2003) waffled back-and-forth about whether or not they wanted to have kids at all. Those who know me are well aware of the fact that I like to try and convince my friends to have babies (not that I think my opinion really makes a difference in the end), and it was especially difficult to accept that Di and Ben might choose not to since it was clear that they would so thoroughly enjoy parenting. Our kids fell in love with them instantly, and unlike some childless friends of ours who have given our kids a lukewarm reception, Di and Ben were always so very welcoming of the wee ones in our family, and eager to hang out with our entire brood.

Ellis is absolutely adorable. In appearance, he's a perfect blend of Di and Ben--which I just find so very fascinating--and his personality is equally as fun and outgoing as his parents'.

Ellis, 10.5 months old

While Leo and Ellis first officially met each other when Leo was just days old, and we've hung out with Di and Ben a few times since then, we hadn't gotten together since Leo exited the blob-stage of early infancy. So when Di and Ben came over this past weekend, Leo and Ellis got to have their first real interaction. Lena took these pictures of their initial encounter:

Leo, meet Ellis.
Ellis, this is Leo.

And all of 5 seconds later . . .

"Hey, can I put my thumb in your mouth?"
"Sure, anytime!"

"Wow, you've got a great suck!"
"Your thumb is pretty tasty!"

Along with swapping saliva and crawling all over the place with Ellis, Leo got some requisite beard-touching time in with Papa Ben. Thank goodness for our hairier male friends and family members, lest our babies miss out on this fascinating, albeit scratchy, experience.

We're so very looking forward to watching Leo and Ellis grow up together, and are so glad that Ben and Di took the leap and decided to have a baby after all. And, of course, Di and Ben think Ellis is just about the best thing that ever happened to them (are you listening Avi? Katie? Anyone else I've been hassling into having a(nother) baby?). We couldn't agree more.