The truth about the "terrible twos"

They aren't terrible.  At leaast, not in this house....or not for Liam.  Now that Liam is going through sensory integration, the world makes more sense to him and we don't have constant meltdowns.  Now that he can communicate better, we don't have constant tantrums.  He is still spirited, but he is so affectionate that it makes up for his strong-will. I get to see this look more these days:

He just oozes sweetness and love and fun everywhere he goes.

Ben on the other hand is going through a contrary phase.  It reminds me of this post from when Liam was 15 months old: Liams says "NO!"  This is Ben in action:

He is going to be a terror as a toddler, and that day is coming soon.

Preparing to party

This weekend we attended the 1st birthday party of a playgroup friend.  Ben is the next in the group to turn 1, so this party was a nice warm up.  My friend Jenn got some great pictures and I thought I'd share.

Newly arrived, the boys are off playing, and Lyndee came straight to me for a big hug

Ben climbing up the slide:

Lyndee and Liam on the Gymboree rocking horse:

Liam doing the Itsy Bitsy Spider with Todd and Ryley Tate.  He stuck close to them all party, and seemed to think Todd (age 4) was super cool:

Ben and Liam have recently discovered how to annoy each other and sibling rivalry has started.  This captures it perfectly:

Ben showing off the new teeth:

I remember when Liam would have found a birthday party overwhelming, but now he can enjoy it, play, and take part.  When we got home, we ran into our neighbor, and Liam chattered away at him.  He was speaking in whole sentences and telling Bo all about how Bo's cat was on the fence and how he could hear Bo's dog barking.  Even I could only catch tidbits of Liam's speech, it was clear he was speaking sentences.  I love seeing the progress he has made.

Need a pep talk

I knew this day would come when I wouldn't be able to see the end in sight.  I am 2/3 done with the deployment, but I feel lost and don't know how I'll make it to the end.

Ben's nighttime sleep is no better.  Today is the day when Ben is exactly the same age Liam was when I got my positive pregnancy test.  This means that Ben has been nursed longer than Liam (yay!) but it also means that Liam was sleeping through the night by now......and Ben is no where close to that milestone.

I am exhausted; I never get 4 hours of straight sleep.  My to-do list keeeps growing.

I feel adrift, like I am just biding my time until Dave returns and when I can get enough sleep to feel human.

Flashback Friday

My Aunt Cindy uploaded this photo to Facebook last night, and I just had to share.  My Aunt Cindy is the little girl to the far left.  My mom is next to her.  Then my Aunt Judy and finally my Uncle Bill.  Aunt Cindy believes this was taken on Easter in 1964, which would make my mom about 10 years old....and I am thinking she is a bit older than that, so maybe the year is off.

Either way, I love having this piece of family history.  My mom died when I was 7, and I had no pictures of her until I was an adult and tracked down her family.  There is a story there too long to get into at the moment.  I just had to share the photo.

Motherhood rarely brings limelight moments

You'd think that with Dave deployed, Ben would say "mama" first.  Well, you'd think wrong.  After all, I only carried him for 9 months and then undeerwent surgery to deliver him.  I only spent 6 months holding him while he screamed for hours while Dave worked 60+ hour weeks.  I was alone for a month of training and 4 months of a deployment being Ben's solo parent.

But what does he say first?

"Dada!"



It is a good thing he is cute!

Wordless Wednesday....or Liam will soon learn to put his special treats in high places

*Note:  I took the lollipop away as soon as I snapped some pictures; this led to a massive tantrum. ;-)

Sharing

I am beginning to slowly see some benefits of baby bunching.....not enough mind you to ever want two children this close again, but enough to make my solo parenting more enjoyable.

Ben is very mobile now.  He crawls quickly, he pulls up on everything, he cruises, he lets go and stands without assistance, and he sometimes lets go on one thing to grab another.  He is also intensely interested in everything Liam does.  Luckily, Ben plays like a big boy.  He can throw a ball.  He can drive a car while crawling.

Liam isn't much interested in social play.  He is becoming more tolerant of Ben playing near him and even with the same item.  He tries to share with Ben, as the video shows.  Occasionally, he even interacts with Ben.  He is a very good big brother in his own way, and clearly loves his baby brother.  Ben, of course, worships Liam, as only a little brother can.

I am looking forward to times when they can play together even more.