- I knew when I woke up this morning (for good that is) that it was gonna be a good day. Bailey woke up first. Then Ben got up. Finally Chloe woke. Bailey was nestled under my right arm. Chloe saddled up to my left side and tucked herself under that arm. I was wishing for my own personal photographer at that point. The photo would need some censoring I suppose since my right breast was in my infants mouth and my left one had a toddler’s hand around it! That may be intrusive to some. It’s a normal day for me. Chloe commented, “that one is for Bailey and this one is for me.” No, I’m not tandem nursing. She hasn’t breastfed in 10 months or more. She just treats it like some kids do with a blankie or favorite stuffed animal (she can’t seem to let it go). In this morning moment of nostalgia, I didn’t correct her from loving on it. Instead I jokingly commented how nice it was for her to share with her sister. Then I asked her if we could share with Daddy. She replied, “No. He’s got his own.” Poor Ben. I did make a point to tell him how much I love him as he left for work. I know how busy things have been around here lately. I know he knows I love him, but I think it’s important to look the one you love in the eye and tell them in earnest just how much they mean to you.
- We had plans today to attend a family gathering. Things seemed to go a lot smoother today with the baby. It always seems to go like that. If I have a bad day; the next one is usually good. Thank you Lord. Bailey was her usual sweet self; resting soundly unless hungry or wet diaper or just needing a little loving. I’ve also become so proud of my little Chloe! She finally seems to be adjusting to the baby. She still wants cuddles from me. She still says “Mommy, I’m cold”, when she wants my attention (no doubt so she can be swaddled like the baby). But she is no longer pushing my limits with bad behavior just to get attention. She plays with her toys and allows me to care for the baby. Sure, she still runs in the room right when I get the baby asleep and loudly tells me what’s going on in the other room, but that’s just regular toddler behavior, not intentional bad behavior. She’s such a big girl and Mommy is so proud. I made a point to tell her today how much I loved her and how proud I was of her. She responded, “I want some Sponge Bob candy.” Well, I tried.
- We went to the family gathering, only an hour and a half late. It was fun. There were a lot of kids there, and I was once again reminded what a tyrant my child can be. She has no desire to share with other kids, despite my encouragement and good example. There was this blue plastic chair that she carried around half the day so no one else could sit in it! When I told her once to share, she boldly said “No Momma. I don’t want to share.” She actually tried to push a crawling baby because she thought the poor thing was coming to take her toy. I think her cavalier attitude did serve her well as she played unsupervised with 800 other, older children. I couldn’t help but peek in on her every 90 seconds or so. During one such spy mission I caught her jumping off furniture onto a pile of couch cushions. I said “be careful” to which she replied, “Momma, we’re just playing weehaw.” Then she jumped into the cushions and screamed “Weehaw!!” It did look fun, so I walked away for 120 seconds. She cried when we had to leave. There had been no chance for a nap today, which equals disaster at 5:30 pm. Our jeep had been acting funny and as I put the bags in the vehicle with the cold, wet rain, I felt the need to quickly pray “Lord please let it start!” It cranked right away. To calm Chloe’s crying, I held her hand in the back seat as I drove. So even though my arm was twisted to the point of discomfort, it made my heart feel good to know that just the touch of my hand made her feel better. The plan was to do some more visiting, but I stopped by our house to give Chloe a dose of cough medicine. When I came back out to the Jeep, it wouldn’t crank. It’s funny how I wasn’t that upset about it not cranking then because I was just grateful that it cranked when I prayed it would (when it was cold, wet, and far from home). Now I lay in a warm bed with Bailey sleeping on my left and Chloe on my right (a mirror image of how my day started). Now all we need is Daddy to come home from work and join us. Yes. It was a good day.
That is all 🙂