I have a whole new respect for moms of several little ones. Don't get me wrong. I've always admired women who can balance the care of more than one little kid at a time, like my good friend Collette who's amazing with all of her kids. But man, you really develop a whole new respect when it comes time to take care of your own!
Natalie, Gavin and I are having a great time hanging out together ... well, most of the time ... er, at least when they're both not crying. We've only had one major public temper tantrum, Gavin's only gotten bonked on the head once and squished about 20 times, and at no time have all three of us been simultaneously crying, so I call that a winner!
Actually, it's not even that bad. Gavin's about the most mellow fellow I've ever met, with the exception of car rides and diaper changes. He appears to be the one baby on the planet who's not lulled, but rather angered, by car rides, and you can't blame the guy for not liking a cold bum during diaper changes. And Natalie, she's an angel about 90 percent of the time and a real pleasure to play with -- art projects, reading, dolls, pretend cooking, actual cooking/baking, etc.
It's just that 10 percent of our days together than wear mommy down like an old shoe. She's two and likes to give adults, especially her mommy, a good run for her money. Can't really blame her. It's what two-year-olds are supposed to do.
Some days, it's like she's inserted little industrial strength corks into her ears, making it impossible to hear anything I say. I had started raising my voice, which did work, but I didn't like yelling at her. So, we've started the naughty chair and that seems to be making an impression. It keeps me from getting as crabby and taking out stress on her and she gets the message that mommy needs her to listen and improve her behavior sometimes. I'm hoping this will continue to work and pray that God grants me with the patience and consistency I need to make it effective.
It's tough, this parenting thing. But I'm having the time of my life - at least 90 percent of the time!
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