It is March. And, with that, you'd expect warmer temperatures.. which, we've seen.. but, we've also still had SNOW. For the love of all that is good, PLEASE stop snowing already! I'm so over crazy expensive propane bills, shoveling snow and babies with cold extremities!! Let there be warmth.. soon! Also, side note, have you noticed how much my kids have grown? Seriously.. who are these babies!! Owen recently had a big boy haircut. I love it, and hate it at the same time. He looks like a little boy. Not a baby. Insane the way these kids grow!!! Aidan is doing new things every day.. his interest in everything quadruples from day to day.. he's not the little baby that's content snuggling in your arms and staring back into my eyes anymore.. this boy has a mission!!! More on that to come...
Life has been busy lately. Aidan man.. my little trickster ;-) Jason and I often discuss the way this darling little devil has deceived his parents! Ha, I kid.. but not really. Aidan was SUCH a pleasant newborn. Really, he was happy the majority of the time.. was content with just being held and loved and cuddled. He didn't really demand too much from anyone.. just a little bit of attention and this boy was happy as a clam. And then around 6 months things started to shift..!
There are SO many pros to having babies close together.. I really could talk about how much I love the closeness in their age for hours.. how happy we both are that we had them so close (even if it wasn't fully intended!).. it truly is a spectacular thing to see the bond that they're developing already. But, today I will admit to one of the most difficult aspects of having 2 so close in age... Aidan wants to GO. He sees Owen on the move.. he sees Owen running around, playing with his toys, in and out of the room, etc. When he was younger, that wasn't really a big deal, but now that Aidan has reached an age where he's truly taken interest in his surroundings, this has become a very difficult situation. Aidan wants that same freedom, except, he hasn't figured out a way to be mobile.. so, instead, he wants me, or Daddy, or whomever is with him to help transport him to wherever Owen is.
The frustration in this poor boy's eyes kills me! He gets so upset that he can't figure out how to get places on his own and almost always turns into a screaming fit. In time, sweet boy.. you will get there! We encourage by putting him on his belly, but it's short lived.. he hates his belly as much if not more than he hates his inability to move. But, refusing to be on your belly makes it quite difficult to learn how to crawl! He is getting better and better at standing, but unlike Owen, his legs aren't quite as strong.. he quickly gets wobbly and then his little legs give out. Owen loved his jumperoo as a baby, which gave him super strong legs. Aidan is not the type to enjoy the jumperoo.. he'd much rather you hold him and help him walk around, or help support him while he explores things. He's so different than Owen in many ways; it's pretty crazy to see how drastically different their personalities can be despite such a close age gap! Needless to say, this desire to move, but inability to actually do so has made things quite difficult for this Momma to get anything done!
I don't ever like to wish time away.. especially after seeing how fast my Owen has grown, but seriously.. I'm ready for the next stage! Crawl, kid!! We want our happy baby back! Everyone has told me "You'll regret that.. having 2 on the move will be so hard", but honestly, in this case.. Aidan having the ability to move around would make things much easier! (I should probably knock on wood now, right?).. Jason and I joke all the time about how Owen gave us a run for our money right up front.. but, then got easier with age.. Aidan sweet talked us in the beginning.. all smiles and coos, but quickly showed us a different side of him!! We still get that sweet little boy on occasion, it's just accompanied with a lot more tears of frustration these days!! This, too shall pass :)
Plus, I think some of Owen's stubbornness is beginning to rub off. Both my boys adore food (I'm sure that's pretty obvious). They rarely skip a meal. Meal time is INSANE here. Neither have patience to wait for food.. the second they enter the kitchen the shrieking begins. I think sitting down together as a family for meals is such an important concept to instill in your children, but I'd be lying if I said it's enjoyable at this time.. we'll get there, but right now it's usually a mad dash to feed both kids, and hopefully get some food in our own mouths!
Over time, Owen has improved greatly with his ability to wait for his plate (most days), but has also discovered his independence in making food decisions. He likes the word no. A lot. When I was growing up. one of the things my Mom always said was "this is what's for dinner.. eat it; this isn't a restaurant". Man do I have a whole new appreciation for this!! We've recently battled dinnertime with Owen (or lunch, or breakfast) because he chooses not to like what he's been served. Things that I KNOW he likes. So much so that he will fake GAG at the table. A few nights ago, I tried to call his bluff.. and told him he had to eat dinner, or he was going to bed. Every time he'd put a mouthful in, he'd act like he was gagging. Until he decided to puke at the table. Over mashed potatoes!! Seriously, this kid loves mashed potatoes.. but, in this instance, his stubbornness won over, and dinner for everyone was ruined.
In the moment, I was about to lose my mind.. all I kept thinking was "did this kid seriously just puke because he didn't want to eat?!?!"... but, afterwards.. I recalled an article I read a while back when Owen was an infant.. I wish I remembered the source to link it, but alas, I don't.. anyway, the gist of the article was talking about how parents get so frustrated with toddlers and their desire to exercise free will, but yet almost every parent will tell you that they want their child to grow up into strong, independent adults.. The latter cannot happen if you squash the former! Oh how true that is. So, our approach from now on is this.. 3 chances to eat your dinner.. if you continue to make gag noises and fight and cry, then you're done.. but nothing else until the next meal time.. Jas and I are hoping his love for food will overtake his stubbornness :)
Looking forward to those spring flowers... and a new chapter of our lives to begin in the coming months! Stick around =) And, in case you wanted a sneak peak of what's to come... here's a little picture of something Owen has been working on perfecting...
