Hi K.,
Congratulations on the new addition to your family! My boys are really close in age - barely 10 months apart, so I can relate to what you are dealing with. What worked for us was to make the older one feel bonded to the baby and to make special time for him. We had him sit with us while we were holding the baby... paying a lot of attention to him while doing it. I'd have big brother give the baby a kiss and pet him a lot. He couldn't talk, but he could say, Bub - so that's what we called the baby ... Baby Bub or Bubba! (Thankfully, it didn't stick!) I made him feel like the baby was his, too. I'd tell big brother that Baby Bub needed "us". Big bro would crawl (or push his walker) to the baby and "help me" quiet him, change him, feed him, everything. I also worked on getting big bro to learn to play independently by having a box of special toys that he only got while I was busy with the baby. A friend gave him the Baby Mozart video as a Big Brother Gift and that was a life saver! It would hold his attention for at least 10-15 mins so I could rock the baby to sleep. When baby was sleeping, I gave big brother a lot of attention and kept him busy. (We went outside a lot - played in the yard with the baby monitor in my pocket). I also would put the baby in the Bjorn carrier several times a day so that I had my hands free to play with big bro. I remember that I didn't think I was going to make it thru some days!! I sometimes didn't take a shower, talk on the phone, go on the computer, or speak to an adult until the day was almost over and I was too exhausted to want to do any of them! I worked really hard to get them to take one good nap at the same time everyday so that I at least had time to eat something healthy, clean up the house a little, and plan dinner. I would actually put a note on my front door that said, "Both babies are asleep! For your own safety, Do NOT knock or ring the bell!" Anyway, my sons are 8 now and they have always been very close - best friends with just a few squabbles now and then. The only thing I would have done differently would have been to ask for help from friends and family instead of thinking & acting like I had to do everything by myself. When the boys were 1 & 2 I would have a 12 yr old neighbor girl come after school 2x a week and play with them. I only paid her $4/hour - but she was thrilled to get it and I got a ton of stuff done. I should have had her come when the baby was a newborn, just to play with big brother.
Good Luck and God Bless!!