Toddler Tryouts and Preschool Pouts

I was up before 6 am this morning. Not of my own choice, but rather forced out of bed by bouncing children who have awoken before their designated time (which I have realistically set as 9am). It took every ounce of strength to not grimace my way through this morning... and a very strong cup of coffee. But alas, I have made it past the point of no return, I am officially awake and have decided to waste away my morning writing. 

Malakai is now 20 months. At this delicate age, they are not really a baby, and not yet a toddler. He has entered the dreaded stage of "toddler tryouts". With all of my children so far, this has by far been the worst stage of them all. They are too young to have a lot of the understanding needed, you cannot explain things to them, they throw fits and tantrums and there just is not a lot you can do about it. Oh, don't get me wrong, there is no way I will let my son just sit there and scream, he immediately goes in his crib. However, after three rounds, I have come to the conclusion that no matter what you do, no matter how consistent you are, it is still a stage that they have to go through. The difficulty presented with this age is that it is nearly impossible to carry on with a normal life. Nap time becomes a thing of strict necessity. You are housebound as going out inevitably procures an "episode" for all to see and judge. Trying to get ANYTHING done around the house is impossible. Every few minutes they are there wanting your attention, needing you, but not wanting you. Up, down, up, down, pushing you away, clawing at your legs. It is a catch 22, and I feel terrible for him, but much more so I feel terrible for me. Talking to Jonathan the other day, I decided that I don't need time away as a break, I need the kids to LEAVE for a day! I need to be able to clean my house top to bottom once a week without a million interruptions. I need to be able to have it stay clean for just one day, not destroyed the second I turn my back.  Possible? I don't know, but I aim to find out.

Caleb and Selah have graduated from toddlerhood and entered the "preschool pouts". There are days I feel that the whining will kill me. It never ends. NEVER ENDS. Whining, crying, pouting, sobbing, weeping, emotions that don't cease or have an expiry. The only time all three children are happy at one time is when they are sleeping. They love each other sometimes, hate each other the rest of the time. They feed off each others emotions, where one was perfectly happy they start wailing or won't eat or don't want the babysitter because the other one throws a fit. My house is like a giant game of dominos, what one starts, they all must follow suit. 

But all of this is manageable, the one that kills me is food. At least (at this is no feeble exaggeration) 50 times a day, I hear (in the whiniest voice possible) "I'm so hungry". No joke, I will feed them a massive lunch, 3 eggs each, cheese, cucumber, juice, etc. etc. etc. and within 5 minutes of getting down I will hear "but I'm soooooo hungry mom". I am so sick of it, I have tried denying them to which they start weeping uncontrollably about their hunger, you would think I starve them. Finally, so fed up with Caleb I told him if he was that hungry he could have a carrot. He just about leapt with happiness. I still haven't decided if they truly are hungry or just bored, I am sure half of it is boredom. But the fact that they will eat a carrot or celery stick makes me continue to feed them. And so it is, that I spend my entire day preparing food and cleaning it up, and once it is clean, I prepare more food. And the cycle continues. 

Once again, I am managing to waste my entire morning with sitting at the computer so I am going to log off. But to all you mothers out there with the "toddler tryouts" and "preschool pouts" I raise my cup of coffee to you and take a large gulp. Brew a strong batch this morning, you're gonna need it! ;)

Summer Update

It's summer, the sun is shining (although not today), the weather is warming, and my kids are flawlessly getting up again at 6am. It doesn't matter what I do. It starts with one, usually Malakai screeching for his early morning bottle. This wakes up Caleb, who then proceeds to keep Malakai awake once he has finished his bottle. And as I try desperately to send him downstairs so that Selah doesn't wake up (if anyone needs her beauty sleep, its her :) and out she comes, quiet as a butterfly, flitting out of her room. Ah mornings. Once my solace, I cannot seem to get up earlier than my children anymore. No more peaceful walks, or rejuvinating showers alone. Now from the second I open my eyes, I am greeted with screeching, fighting, and the dreaded "maaaaaaama! Come wash my bum!" Now that Caleb is approaching 4, I am recognizing a pattern. It happens each summer, maybe it is the sun waking them up, or the birds chirping incessantly out their window. Whatever it is, each summer, the clock goes back and they start getting up earlier and earlier, and unfortunately getting whinier and whinier throughout the day.

Life in the Spooner household has taken on rocket form. I can't seem to keep up. Piano lessons, working for my parents, Jonathan's courses and overtime shifts, shopping trips, doctor trips, and more. I love to be busy, but without fail it starts to show in my personal life and right now, my house is lacking. Now that lessons are almost over, I am starting to have some more time and even so finding it incredibly hard to catch up in this area. I try, I will spend all day cleaning and be so proud of myself, but in an evening it is all destroyed and finding the strength and willpower to do it all again the next day is hard to muster up. I literally was cleaning and Malakai followed me deliberately pulling out ANYTHING I put away. I would throw something in the garbage, he would throw it back on the floor. My silent little destroyer, toddling along behind me, sucking his little soother. So cute I couldn't be angry. My garden never happened, although I did manage to half plant a little flower patch in the front yard. Malakai is walking now, everywhere. He is so cute, both Jonathan and I love this stage. He is trying to talk more, although sticks to kind of one sound for everything ("sucka" is the same for both his sucky, kee kee, and simon). It is so fun to watch him become his own little person, so very very different from his brother and sister. And for all you wondering souls out there, no, we are not pregnant. I am sapping up every last ounce of baby left in my little boy. Even changing his diaper has become something I love, I know it won't last that much longer and it is just one more moment I can see him as a baby.

Life is changing, our little family is growing and changing. There are new ages and stages and attitudes and fights that we deal with every day in our children. Life goes on, day by day, and we just try to keep up, tag a long, survive in the midst of it all. Reading back on my old posts, I realized I miss this. I love looking back and seeing the catalogue of our family written out. I may not do it as often as I once could, but I will try to write more frequently if for no other reason than for myself. Right now Malakai is screaming, Selah just "fluttered" out of her room and Caleb is yelling for me to come wash his bum, so I gotta go! Happy mornings everyone, hope yours aren't quite as early as mine :)