Kidding
Not my little boy–whine? Never. (oh, yeah, she does too but a 2 year old has nothing on a 4 year old.) Lies. Total lies. He’s almost 4 and has discovered whining a-new. It’s like the cloud burst open, the sun shone down, it’s baseball season, and whining is freshly on his palate. It’s killing me. The tone. The looks. The crocodile tears. The insistence of it. The solemn assurance that this one instance is the worst in his life. ABSOLUTE WORST THING THAT COULD EVER HAPPEN to him. She touched his book? I can’t take it. Besides the fact that it’s a terrible unappealing habit for a little boy, I’m wearing our newborn BabyLoves in the carrier and chasing down the big kids. It’s (duh) exhausting. Thusly, I’m sharing with you my tried & true {in the last month, so take & leave with those handfuls of salt} methods of cutting down on the whining. 1) Ignore. When you can. Simply pretend you cannot understand the language of a whiner. I may actually hum to myself, bustling around the room, saying something like “gosh, I wish he wasn’t whining. I don’t understand him when he whines.” I might even lean over to his sister and say “can you understand him? I just can’t.” That really drive him insane. Maybe even insane enough to cut the tone down. 2) Immediate consequence without talk talk talking. Remember what my great & wise friend Jamie {Behave Your Best} said about not talking your…
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Today is our FIFTH anniversary. It’s hard to remember life before eye lines, sleepless nights, nursing babies and snuggly big kids. But once upon a time we were young and easy under the boughs, to quote the poet. (Does that mean something ahem not quite puritan?) Engaged couple. So young! I love my dress. Who doesn’t just want to wear it a million times?? Loved our wedding mass. So much. But the reception at our house? The very best time of my life. Looking back at four years. And three years. /// SuperBoy turns four at the end of June. But until then, I’m proudly proclaiming myself to be the <victim?? hostage?> mother to three children under the age of four. Our days consist of me trying to recover from having such a BIG BABY and keeping the other children fed, toileted, and napped. Emphasis on the napped. SuperBoy still naps. Yes. Thanks be. Things like this happen: best friends come over and they all get into the pool, clothing et al. Because their moms are busy with the babies, right? And then the other set of best friends come over and they all get into the hammock. Because the moms are also busy with the babies. So that’s safe, right? And then the grandparents swoop in and save the day. Or the wet socks. Either way, NuNu is getting her snuggle time in for sure. But back at the Lodge, it really does look like SweetPea has…
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This little lady has suddenly grown up over night: big girl bed, potty trained (not including sleep times, because really, who includes those??), talking non-stop, and really ready to be a big sister. Did I say she was rrrrrrrreally ready? I mean, I’m moderately ready too, I supposed suppose (LET’S HAVE THIS BABY NOW). Things she says ::get baby out now; change his diaper; I nurse him; where’s Boy?; I burp him; where’s baby?; why he stuck? Things she does squeals and runs toward her B I G G I R L B E D with all her entourage in tow: including Big Darlin, Choe, Thumper, Baby Thumper, White Thumper, Jesus, an assortment of pacifiers, baby pretend bottles, swaddle blankets, mama-made-me-this blankets. The whole kit & caboodle. This she thinks going on the potty is FUN! going on the potty is TERRIBLE! going on the big toilet without the booster thing is AWFUL. going on the big toilet sans anything is GREAT! going potty and getting a health cookie is the BEST. going potty and getting an akmak cracker is BETTER. never going potty again is an option. The rest of us are along for her ride, that’s for sure. (I decided on a duvet cover! Dangerous color?) Me & almost 39 weeks are dying over yonder these here hills. I’ve been sick (use your imagination) for a few days and am hoping it’s pre-labor. If it’s not, that’s fine. If it is, let’s get this unmedicated double doula water…
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Our sweet little SweetPea. She’s feisty & ferocious, snuggly & straightforward. And we share the privilege of a birthday. Here’s to you, my little love bug. We are so so so blessed to have you. Emily Rumsey Photography And a happy birthday to me, too, as we share this special day. Thanks to my own amazing mother for giving birth to me 31 years ago!
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To my husband on his big mid-thirty’s birthday little fingers– inside your heart all sunshine long —- sleepy eyes perk up before dawn snuggles —- big brain hold small hands inside his arms —- laugh tender growing squiggles our family of five —- You would never know my thesis was a poetry manuscript. This is all I got, people. If you too love this Janod firefighter set, I cannot recommend anything from that company highly enough. Brilliant design. The box is part of the toy. Costco pjs? Don’t mind if he does. And yes, note the Scythian sticker on the kids’ learning tower. They love their adopted uncles. If you don’t own Cake for Dinner, the kid album of the world’s bestest band, your life is incomplete. I have a copy or two for a giveaway I’ll run later this month! Our now weekly visits to his work that include AA getting me a very large hot cocoa & the kids croissants from the Starbucks in his building, meeting us at the car, having a visit in the don’t-park-here-just-load-here spot, and then being recharged enough to survive the next 8 hours without him. It’s like drive-through love. Pictured here the kids actually got to get out and go in with him–because it was above 30 degrees finally.
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Oh, did your kid scream her head off during the large-scale playdate you hosted? First off, don’t be embarrassed. I’ve had this exact same experience, as has any mother of a 2+ year old. All the other moms have either had this experience, or if their child is extremely unusual and they’ve never hosted anything, maybe they were horrified. Truly, though, this is totally normal and to be expected. Why? Because your kid is 2+ and is developing at lightening speed internally and behavior can’t keep up! When I last had this happen and we had about 7 other little monsters over, and SuperBoy was completely ballistic out of his mind, luckily, my mom was home that day. She took him upstairs so I could continue to host and he could reclaim his brain particles. But what about when it’s just you & the monster & maybe a baby in arms and a room full of other mothers? A few things that have helped me: 1) Prep prep prep. Prep the kids ahead of time: “Children are coming. they’re going to touch all your toys. If there is a toy you don’t want to share, let’s put it in your room. We want our friends to be happy, so we’re going to share.” I often have to remind them mid-date (if they’re acting up) that “We’re going to have a wonderful snack. Little children who share nicely get a really nice treat!” I’m not above bribery, or attempts thereof. 2)…
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