Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Blog Challenge - Day 1.

I have an x-month old and already I'm thinking: I'm going to miss him/her at this age!  Have you felt that way, and what age do you miss most?

First post of my blog challenge.  This is a great question, particularly since I have two kids to think about.  It's particularly apropos because today is Lion's first birthday!  Happy birthday, Baby Lion!  (He celebrated by pulling an all-nighter with a combination of emerging molars and an ear infection.  Not the birthday gift I wanted for him!)

I'm definitely going to miss the baby in him.  He's just such a sweet guy, but a total handful.  (The silver lining of a sick kid, of course, is that you get to cuddle with a usually non-stop mover.  Although I would have preferred not to do that from 12-6 a.m. straight last night.)  If I have to miss one age the most, it's the just pre-mobile Lion; the one where he sits and grins at everyone and just takes it all in.  He seemed to really get how amazing the world is and be patiently waiting for it to open up to him.  He had this anticipatory glint in his eye: let's see what'll happen next, Mom!  At that age I continuously marveled at how I could have given birth to such a CHILL kid - not realizing how much mobility would show his true colors.  Although he's essentially still a low-key guy... just with an entire world to explore.  I can't wait for another age when he'll take an occasional break to hang out with Mom.

Miss Monkey is almost four, and I used to say that every age quickly became my favorite age.  It's just been so much fun watching her evolve.  Three-and-a-half, however, has not been my favorite age.  I am glad it's on it's way out, as I'm already starting to see signs of a more typical (or so I read) four-year old emerging.  Maybe I'm being too tough on the age of three-and-a-half, because it came at a time of big transition for all of us, and that could be to blame instead.  Regardless, it was the toughest age by far in terms of discipline and fighting.  I really had to examine myself as a parent and rethink some old habits.  I think we came out of it well, though.  I definitely grew - learned a lot about controlling my temper and even more about Monkey and what she needs out of a parent.  All the things you always hear about I've had to learn to execute - calm, consistent consequences.  She's a very rational kid, as long as I'm a rational Mom.  So I've had to improve myself to improve her, and I'm actually pretty proud of where we are.

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