Part I: A Glimpse into the Life of...

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Part 1:
A Glimpse into the Life of... Caleb

"Mama! Maaaaama! Mamamamamama!" The familiar sound accosts my ears and I sigh in defeat knowing that at this very moment my son has awakened not only me, but the entire household. 
"Shhhhh, daddy's sleeping," my morning mantra sounds effortlessly from my lips. Feeling put out that the first words I speak to my son in the morning are to quiet him, I comfort myself in the fact that it is in an effort to maintain peace in the home.
"Hi mama, I'm hungry. I want some cheerios. Taleb wants some cheerios."
"Yes, son I know you are hungry. Let's go get some cereal."
"YAAAAAY! Cheerios, cheerios, cheerios!" well, so much for keeping the house quiet. I try to be annoyed that my whole house has been usurped by this tiny little man in front of me, but I can't as he sings his cheerio song and jumps his way to the kitchen to claim his prize. Sigh.
I now know why babies and toddlers are so cute, God made them that way so that you would be addicted to them despite their many downfalls :) We bound our way to the kitchen (well, he bounds... I stumble awkwardly) and I pour him some cereal only to have to go and grab the rest of the children who are now wide awake at the sound of Caleb's proclaimed joy. Malakai wants to eat, Selah wants some cereal too, and I dream of coffee, anticipating it's reviving qualities.
The morning seems to get away from me. Caleb steals Selah's spoon, he encourages her to bang on the table (which he knows they are not allowed to do), he pokes her, he makes her scream, he coos and talks to his brother, he whines for more cereal. Feeling as though I have lived a lifetime in one short morning, I look at the clock only to find that a mere 5 minutes has passed, and I still have at least 600 minutes to go. Oh man, this does not bode well for me! 
The day drags on in typical spooner fashion, screaming, fighting, and in Caleb's case... silliness.
ie. The house is silent, which means the kids are not fighting, which means that Caleb and Selah are seperated, which means that Caleb has gotten into something. I run around the house and find him in the kitchen, hiding under the table. Aha! Food. Sure enough, he has stolen a pear off the counter and is chowing down under the table. Upon being caught he looks up at me with no guilt, but rather an expression of "shoot, you caught me mom, you won't catch me next time! It was soooo worth it!"
"Here you go mama" he says as he gives it over to me with a big smile. He doesn't fool me, I know what is going on in that little head. Already, at two and a half, he tries to pull the wool over my eyes. Does he really think that I will believe he was just getting the pear for mama. Whatever son, good thing mama's no idiot.
ie 2. One of Caleb's newest antics is to be ticklish at everything. You can't touch him, change his clothes, wash him, or change his diaper without squealing, screaming, laughing and arching. Which makes changing him next to impossible. I get annoyed, but at least he is being happy, right?
Or spontaneous animal behaviour. One minute he is talking to you or looking at you, the next he is roaring or neighing or galloping around the house. Really hard to take him seriously. And a little embarrassing when someone says hi to him and he growls back. Wow. That's my son, the bear! Or the horsie! Ay yi yi!

Straight out of the horse's mouth:

"Mama, I wanna pet Malakai" (um, son, Malakai is not an animal, but sure! You can pet him)
"Mama, you're beautiful, you a princess!" (WHERE did you learn about princesses?!?!?!)
"But mama, I wanna hit Selah. PLEEEEASE mama" (ya, the answer is still no bud)
Me: "son, cousin Kyra's coming over. Are you excited?"
Caleb: "yay! But mama, kyra not bite taleb." (no son, we can hope not :)
"Mama, DON'T TALK TO ME!" (nice try mr. attitude)

Slowly Going Crazy

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Or quickly going crazy. Sigh. These last few days have been the epitome of challenging. With rain and being stuck in the house, Jonathan working overtime and hardly around, and my own personal lack of sleep... we've been in for a round of profound impatience on my part. The only thing that is getting me through the long days is going for my walks/runs in the morning and praying for an extra measure of grace and patience with my family for that day. I cannot imagine having another child right now, this is when it starts to get interesting!

Malakai is officially not a newborn anymore. He was my "newborn" for the longest. Just laid there, smiled, was content and happy, slept a lot. Over this last week, it has changed overnight. He kicks and squeals, is starting to roll, grabbing for toys, trying to sit more, babbling, crying, wanting to be held and interacted with... it is the battle I wage between loving this stage and missing the old. My little boy is growing up.

Selah is, as I write, putting all her stuffed animals and toys on the naughty chair. Telling them to "look at me" and "are you happy?" she asks in her most stern, adult-voice. She is my jeckle and hyde. One minute she will be the cutest, most cheerful girl in the room, the next she is screaming and throwing a complete fit on the floor. Sigh. If I had to rate my children on their level of difficulty, without a doubt she is my most challenging child at this point. She pushes me and battles me to the bitter end. "Are you happy?" I will ask her. "No, nnn." She'll pull away and scowl and fight, knowing she will be put on timeout for it. Some days I feel like that is all I do, battle with my daughter. Anyone who said that girls are easy as babies was dead wrong!

Caleb can be so well behaved. For him, the tantrums are a thing of the past. He understands more, I can reason with him, explain things to him. However, the attitude he has started to rear astounds me. He talks back to me like children I have judged my whole life. "Don't talk to me!" "Go away mom!" "Stop it mom" "Don't touch me!" etc. etc. etc. I spend my days with a large "excuse me?!?!?!?!" on my lips, as he sasses me like nothing I have ever heard. Oy vey. Just when they grow out of something and seem to be doing better, they adopt a new behavioural issue to deal with.

Needless to say, I am tired. I am worn down day by day. Each day feels like a battleground, and I am so weary of battle. Maybe that is why God asked us to put on the armor of God, I always viewed it as defense against the enemy. Now I wonder if it isn't as simple as defense for your day. Faith and truth and the word of God. I NEED the word of God to give me the strength I need for each day. Sigh. Well, until another day.