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Jake will be three weeks old tomorrow.  I feel like I'm starting to get a handle on mothering my two boys, at least when we are safely confined within the house.  I am somewhat desperate to go out and be productive during the day, but the idea of taking my two kids out alone scares the pants off of me.  Seriously, taking Will out alone was getting to be a task worthy of avoidance in the weeks leading up to labor.  And while I'm sure part of it was because I was ridiculously pregnant, a larger part of it was because Will seems to have entered the terrible two's early.  At least I hope so.  Because if he hits two and we discover a whole nother level of irrational and demanding, I might curl up into a ball and cry.  Anyway, I realize that Will might be going a little stir-crazy from hanging out inside, but sometimes I just look at him and think to myself, "Who is this little urchin?"  We are going through a rough patch, I hope.  Actually, I think he's going through a growth spurt.  He's taking extremely long naps these days.  I expect him to wake up one morning having outgrown all his clothes.  And hopefully with a bit of an attitude adjustment as well. 

We thought better of switching him entirely to 2% milk about two days after doing so when it occurred to me that his severly grumpy behavior was because Mommy stupidly put him on a pretty drastic diet.  He's a much better eater than he used to be, but I don't think he was able to eat enough to compensate for the loss in calories.  So, we are incorporating a few whole milk bottles back into his day.  I don't know why I let it bother me, but when people make subtle comments about how much I feed my son or what a big boy he is, I feel totally judged and guilty, like I'm going to make him fat.  He's not though.  He's perfectly healthy and active.  He's just big.  He's a solid kid and has been from the very start.  Anyway, a series of such comments is kind of what led me to consider switching to 2% milk.  I should know better by now as a mother than to give credence to off-hand comments made by others, but I did.  My bad.  Sorry Will. 

Now that I've badmouthed my son and implied that he's chunky, I feel it necessary to brag on him.  His communication skills have improved so drastically this past month!  He grabs your hand and leads you around, showing you exactly what he wants.  He can say "bottle" (which sounds more like butt-hole, but that's okay), and "Dada" and "Mama" and "Hi Y'all" and "Dog" and "Bye bye" and "Night night" and his favorite, "Wow" (which is ALWAYS whispered with reverence).  And he'll play the "repeat after me" game now, attempting to imitate what we say.  SO FUN!  He runs over to his high chair when he's hungry and points to food on the counter when he wants more of it.  Naps and bedtime are wonderful anymore, with Will enjoying some milk while being rocked (in the new glider.  Yes, I made that happen.) and then handing you the bottle and pointing to his crib.  That's right.  He ASKS to get in his crib and puts HIMSELF to sleep.  WHAT??!?  How and when did that happen!?  What a gift!?  Not having to struggle through bedtime has made having the new baby SO much easier.  And the fact that he sleeps 11-12 hours at night consistently means that we only have one little guy to manage during the night.  And even THAT little dude has been giving us 3-4 hours of sleep at a stretch.  Halleluia!  And Will is so clever.  Seriously.  Dangerously clever.  He has discovered that his little push/ride toys are good for STANDING on. 

And just yesterday he figured out that he can use them as step stools to climb up on the furniture.  God help me.  

 

Comments

[Stephanie]

Chunky never comes to mind when I look at Will. Happy, cute, and healthy definately do, though. Keep up the good work, mama!

[Jen B]

I second Stephanie's comment; you're doing an excellent job! :)

[nicole steeves]

i have never looked at pics of Will and thought he looked chunky at all! He is all boy and looks average to me. You are such a great mom!