Twodles, my ever-so-sweet 22 mo. old is developing his own opinions and is VERY willing to let you know if he doesn't want to do something. Its all about "I do it" or "I not" these days. Out of sheer desperation of going completely bonkers if I heard "I not" one more time, I taught him to say "no thanks" or in his words "no tanks." This age is so extremely taxing on my patience and then to add being a pregnant mess on top of it sure makes for just a few runny nosed, mascara shmeared, snort in laughter at how ridiculous I am, sob sessions.
Church the last couple weeks has been somewhat of an embarrassment. He is quite vocal when he doesn't want to do something, which isn't so great when its supposed to be a quiet place of reflection and worship. Last Sunday, I was so hot I thought I was going to pass out. Twodles didn't make things any cooler, insisting that only I hold him, or when he attempted to use my blimp-like body as his personal play place. Then add a little thing I will forever more think of as pregnant torture...carpal tunnel syndrome! I felt like Jennifer Garner on Alias being tortured by some KGB member. I couldn't say or do anything given where I was, but I literally wanted to stand up and run out of the chapel screaming and crying.
I was bombarded by wacky thoughts like, "I can't stand my 'rotten' child right now, I just want him to disappear!"..."My husband has NO IDEA what I am going through!"..."I can't complain because then Mr. Medic will never consent to another child again!"..."I can't do this for 4 more weeks!" (the last one isn't so wacky, its totally legit) Then just as the service ended and I thought I was spared an embarrassing scene of insanity, I began to bawl! Darn it all, I couldn't hold it in any longer.
No sooner, I get "the look" from Mr. Medic. Every woman knows what I'm talking about. You don't even have to have been pregnant to know. It comes when any type of unexplained emotion is manifest and he JUST DOESN'T GET IT! The look of "what on earth is wrong with you, and where is my wife?" Thankfully "the look" was followed by complete love and compassion. But you know that didn't matter much, because I felt like a complete mess. I tried to explain how I was feeling without succumbing to a total fit of hysteria. But to be honest I was feeling guilty for my wacky thoughts.
After taking the remaining time at church to chill, I came home feeling a bit better. I was blessed to have my eyes opened to some of the wonderfully cute things that Twodles does and it made me appreciate him, and being a mommy a little better, rather than sulking in pregnant hormonal resentment.
I CAN DO IT! There is so much good that comes from the hard parts of being a mom. Here are some of the great things that Twodles is doing that are my tender mercies and snap me back to reality...
Twodles got on a bike kick for a bit there. I got the idea to teach him to tell Daddy that he wanted a bike. I quickly changed my tactics and taught him to say "Daddy, I need a bike!" Twodles recited his line when Daddy got home from work without a problem. This is what we found, but our little guy is kinda a shrimp and still can't quite reach the ground.
He's learning all sorts of "boy" things like playing with his "guys" and making what I'm guessing to be shooting noises. (The bandana is compliments of Uncle Kendall. Twodles loves wearing it.)
Getting in some practice at taking his clothes off all by himself. I have NO clue how he got this way!
So excited to show me that he put his shoes on all by himself!
We worked on sorting beans. He was pretty darn good at it and was excited to say "cheese" for the picture!
Spending time with Daddy just chillin' which doesn't happen too often.
Prime example of my child's OBSESSION with vacuums!
The SUPER unusual cuddle time with momma!
Working on hand coordination.
He knows quite a few words. He gets his smarts from his Daddy.
Again, learning to do "boy" things!
One day I noticed him rolling his arms, and then it clicked that he must have learned it in nursery at church...so cute!
Waking up from a nap happy!
This one is quite long so I don't blame you if you don't even watch it, but he sure does surprise me with the new words he picks up every time we read together.
This one is quite long so I don't blame you if you don't even watch it, but he sure does surprise me with the new words he picks up every time we read together.
I really do love being a momma to this cute little boy, and can't wait to add one more to the bunch. Mr. Cooper will surly bring more trying times. But even better, more of those sweet reassurances that all the hard stuff is totally worth it!
SO.....help me out here:
What are some of your tips for dealing with tantrums, keeping your cool when your about to lose it, and ideas to keep kids as reverent as possible during church?
SO.....help me out here:
What are some of your tips for dealing with tantrums, keeping your cool when your about to lose it, and ideas to keep kids as reverent as possible during church?
Chandee, I've gotten the sweetest feedback from my friends about this same question that I've asked them lately (sweet as in "I think Heavenly Father would parent that same way" sweet). I'm going to message them to you on Facebook. I hope it helps.
ReplyDeleteThanks Bethany! I'm excited to read it.
ReplyDeleteI have found that I get less impatient the more that I have. I really notice it with my third one. The first one breaks you in, the next one proves that they are different than the first, and so by the third you have the patience to take whatever they are going to dish out. The first one is the hardest to get to behave in church, because once you teach them, they are an extra example to the following ones.
ReplyDeleteI remember Hannah used to crawl under the benches and turn around and bite my hands legs, or anything else that I tried to stop her with, and scream on top of it. Try to put her on my lap and she would throw her head back into my face = many Sundays that I end up crying. Elijah and I would take turns taking her out into the car (if we took her into the hall she just thought it was more fun.) We would strap her into her carseat and let her scream for a minute or so, unstrap her and love on her, and then bring her back inside, until she didn't act as she should, and then it was a repeat. We missed a lot of what went on in church for like 3 months, but she learned. Every time we took her out we would tell her that it was more fun to sit in the church nicely than sit in the car.
I made quiet books, copy the color pages from the Friend, and even cut my own paper puzzles of pictures of Jesus, or the Prophet, or other church material. We still have a meltdown every now and then, and there are plenty of times that I just want to give up and go home because my children are being so horrible, but I just keep pushing through.
It will get better. I like to observe other families and see their struggles just to know that I am not the only one that goes through it.