This Phase
He's in a good phase.
She's sleeping so well.
Good. This is just so good.
We look at Trip and Meg and we look at each other and we say these words and smile. The past three years have been full of there ups and downs*, and some of the biggest "downs" have been in relation to, if not because of, this little person who has to learn how to talk and move and regulate emotions and interact with people. And that is hard. Being a person is hard. Emotions are hard. Not being able to grab toys from your sister is hard and eating cereal with a spoon and not a fork when you really want to eat cereal with a fork is hard and not being allowed to climb shelves/chairs/the knobs on our kitchen drawers is hard. So we see Trip's sad face a lot (which, for the record, involves the biggest, roundest full-of-tears eyes and the deepest frown I have seen on any face, ever - hello instant heartbreak). So we are learning to apologize when we throw things, and to give a kiss to our sister when we hit her - even if it was just by accident. We are learning that we have to sit in the bean bag chair for time out when we need some alone time to calm down and process things, and that we might get our cute little bottom lightly smacked when we are being truly a terror.
That being said, we seem to be in the middle of a good phase. And if writing could be whispered I would be gently shushing all of this right next to your ear because shhhhhh don't speak too loudly and scare away all of this peace we are living in! A good phase for us involves no tantrums that are un-soothable with a few soft words and a hug. Good phases mean that bedtime is bath, quite play, books and bed with a few minute cuddle with Mom or Dad, with the last phase from books to bed only taking half an hour. When we are in a good phase everyone only screams for completely valid reasons (they dropped a can of coconut milk on their toes because their favorite place to play is in the pantry, or their brother stole the toast/cheese/grape they were eating, or they just felt like being loud, because sometimes a kid just needs to emit some happy screams, ya know?) and not for completely invalid reasons (Mommy put my cereal in a bowl and not on a plate, or won't let me mix my juice and milk in the same cup together, or makes me put pants on when it is cold enough to require pants). Good phases mean that each child goes down for their nap when they are tired, without having to scream about it for half an hour beforehand, and wakes up at least one hour after they fell asleep.
In this good phase we spend a lot of time together encouraging Meggie to walk (she is so close! Little baby girl can now stand on her own for a good 15 seconds!) and fending her away from our cheesecake when we choose to sit on the floor and eat. (Two things Meg finds irresistible when you are sitting at her height: any food you are eating, especially if it's sweet, and the computer sitting on your lap.) We listen to Trip tell us exactly how we should be sitting on that pillow, and make sure he uses his manners when he inevitably asks for a sip of our water. And we try not to let him see us laugh when he looks at us, so seriously, and says "don't move that pillow. Okay? 'K Mommy? Don't move that pillow. Mmmhm. 'K."
I know that this is just a phase. That for us, having two babies who are both happy, healthy, eating well and sleeping well involves the most delicate balance of moods and nerves and immune systems that something is bound to happen soon that will rock us. But that's what life is like for us now - the constant rock and settle and coast and rock again.
Here are some photos:
She's sleeping so well.
Good. This is just so good.
We look at Trip and Meg and we look at each other and we say these words and smile. The past three years have been full of there ups and downs*, and some of the biggest "downs" have been in relation to, if not because of, this little person who has to learn how to talk and move and regulate emotions and interact with people. And that is hard. Being a person is hard. Emotions are hard. Not being able to grab toys from your sister is hard and eating cereal with a spoon and not a fork when you really want to eat cereal with a fork is hard and not being allowed to climb shelves/chairs/the knobs on our kitchen drawers is hard. So we see Trip's sad face a lot (which, for the record, involves the biggest, roundest full-of-tears eyes and the deepest frown I have seen on any face, ever - hello instant heartbreak). So we are learning to apologize when we throw things, and to give a kiss to our sister when we hit her - even if it was just by accident. We are learning that we have to sit in the bean bag chair for time out when we need some alone time to calm down and process things, and that we might get our cute little bottom lightly smacked when we are being truly a terror.
That being said, we seem to be in the middle of a good phase. And if writing could be whispered I would be gently shushing all of this right next to your ear because shhhhhh don't speak too loudly and scare away all of this peace we are living in! A good phase for us involves no tantrums that are un-soothable with a few soft words and a hug. Good phases mean that bedtime is bath, quite play, books and bed with a few minute cuddle with Mom or Dad, with the last phase from books to bed only taking half an hour. When we are in a good phase everyone only screams for completely valid reasons (they dropped a can of coconut milk on their toes because their favorite place to play is in the pantry, or their brother stole the toast/cheese/grape they were eating, or they just felt like being loud, because sometimes a kid just needs to emit some happy screams, ya know?) and not for completely invalid reasons (Mommy put my cereal in a bowl and not on a plate, or won't let me mix my juice and milk in the same cup together, or makes me put pants on when it is cold enough to require pants). Good phases mean that each child goes down for their nap when they are tired, without having to scream about it for half an hour beforehand, and wakes up at least one hour after they fell asleep.
In this good phase we spend a lot of time together encouraging Meggie to walk (she is so close! Little baby girl can now stand on her own for a good 15 seconds!) and fending her away from our cheesecake when we choose to sit on the floor and eat. (Two things Meg finds irresistible when you are sitting at her height: any food you are eating, especially if it's sweet, and the computer sitting on your lap.) We listen to Trip tell us exactly how we should be sitting on that pillow, and make sure he uses his manners when he inevitably asks for a sip of our water. And we try not to let him see us laugh when he looks at us, so seriously, and says "don't move that pillow. Okay? 'K Mommy? Don't move that pillow. Mmmhm. 'K."
I know that this is just a phase. That for us, having two babies who are both happy, healthy, eating well and sleeping well involves the most delicate balance of moods and nerves and immune systems that something is bound to happen soon that will rock us. But that's what life is like for us now - the constant rock and settle and coast and rock again.
Here are some photos:
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| Trip's Mechanic Shed. Toff took Trip to two different hardware stores today, and at both of them Trip charmed the men working there into giving him something for free! The first guy gave him stickers, and the second gave him a whole set of spanners! (American translation: wrenches!) |
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| Delicate toddler creature displays his favorite coping technique - face down and quiet. Something catastrophic probably happened. Like Alyssa not jumping high enough. Or too high. Or not jumping with Meggie in her arms...
xo Cara
*Not surprisingly, I should add, because who decides to open a business, have two babies, and open a second store-front to their still-new business in under three years? Wow...I've never phrased it like that before. We really are crazy! Woops.
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