We knew it was coming...
I must say, to begin, that having kids close together is always a challenge, and a lot of work!
Next I must say that having a girl then a boy 14 months later is vastly different than having a boy then another boy 11.5 months later... vastly different!
In my experience having a girl first set the tone for the boy to follow. He followed her and she set a pretty mellow tone. By the time brother was following her around she was out of her mischievous state. She hit that when he was still baby. When he was old enough for them to play together she was mellowed out. That, mixed with G's mellow personality and disinterest in mess and mischief was really a bonus for me.
It is vastly different with these two boys!!!!
We knew it was coming!
First O's personality is full of curiosity and abandon, mischief and laughs. I don't know that he'll outgrow that. Second E is closer behind that my first two were to each other. He's caught up so fast and is right there with his brother, following him around in EVERYTHING he does. This combo does not bode well for me!!!!
They had been pretty harmless up until these past couple of weeks. O seemed to be semi obedient to the rules. It was mostly just bickering between the two... always. That is still happening, only now O is getting more, um EVIL!!! He has no limits, and apparently no ears, because he has missed the times I have told him not to do things. I must not be disciplining effectively and after tonight that will change! Today he was standing on the changing table and I heard him so I ran up the stairs. He wanted to jump off to G. Hello!!! Today he also got into our game closet. Here is where I have failed. It was fine at first, he got out a game, made a mess, then that was it. Now there are no limits and all the puzzles and games are out, and they are ALL OVER the house! Didn't you see that coming? You may ask. I tell you with his side kick they are like a whirlwind! It doesn't take long. Unfortunately E is slower at the cleaning up. I can't wait until he speeds up! Jumping on couches, standing on the arm of chairs, standing on the booster, getting into the pantry and helping himself to whatever he wants, pushing chairs around to get to the counter tops. I tell you, this is my first experience with this and I DON'T like it! Why is he not at all affected by the consequences to his actions!? Again, I have slacked off a bit, not effective!
Tonight I heard Q go upstairs... 'uh oh... MOOOOOM'. I start up the stairs only to get a whiff of a chemical, then I'm approached by a blue tinted ghost. E is covered in Comet! It is all over the bathroom floor. O is in the bathroom sweeping it around. All of the cleaning supplies are covered, there is a cloud of cleaner in the air and the boys are laughing. The blankets are in the cabinet, I think they wanted a place to hide, but once that Comet tipped over all interest in that game was lost, and a new one emerged! I can just see O dumping the can over his wide-eyed brother, laughing.
Fortunately E looked funny and I was caught off guard enough, that I didn't cry, I laughed and got my camera. I haven't mentioned yet that M has been out of town all week and I've been a single mother.
I reprimanded, but really by that point it's too late. They see nothing wrong with what they've done, it's all just fun. If I do time out or spank now, to them it feels like I did it because they are playing, plus I'm laughing. I've told them not to play under the sink before, I've done time out. They have stayed away from it. I guess tonight they forgot. I will just get a child lock for it.
Anyway I went to get the vacuum from downstairs. Q was now upstairs joining in some fun. I got upstairs, ended the fun and started clean up! I put my little blue people in the tub and started vacuuming. I followed the footsteps through the hall into the boys room, little blue footsteps onto the carpet, then little blue footsteps onto O's bed, then a puddle of blue dust that they shook off while they were jumping. Have you ever vacuumed a bed before? I went back into the bathroom and swept, vacuumed replaced the cleaning supplies, cleaned my vanity top to bottom, gathered up the rugs, dusted in blue, drained the bath water and refilled so the boys wouldn't get sick from drinking Comet water, then finished. My bathroom is really clean now!
Oh, heaven help me! I got the boys out of the tub and laughed as they charged naked for O's bed to air dry! Naked jumping, I'm sure it will bond them for life! Laughed again as O stuck the drumstick up his nose and called it his elephant trunk. Then again as he continued to stick it up his nose, studying how it felt.
Soon I will sigh as I put them both to bed. I wonder what tomorrow will bring.
Next I must say that having a girl then a boy 14 months later is vastly different than having a boy then another boy 11.5 months later... vastly different!
In my experience having a girl first set the tone for the boy to follow. He followed her and she set a pretty mellow tone. By the time brother was following her around she was out of her mischievous state. She hit that when he was still baby. When he was old enough for them to play together she was mellowed out. That, mixed with G's mellow personality and disinterest in mess and mischief was really a bonus for me.
It is vastly different with these two boys!!!!
We knew it was coming!
First O's personality is full of curiosity and abandon, mischief and laughs. I don't know that he'll outgrow that. Second E is closer behind that my first two were to each other. He's caught up so fast and is right there with his brother, following him around in EVERYTHING he does. This combo does not bode well for me!!!!
They had been pretty harmless up until these past couple of weeks. O seemed to be semi obedient to the rules. It was mostly just bickering between the two... always. That is still happening, only now O is getting more, um EVIL!!! He has no limits, and apparently no ears, because he has missed the times I have told him not to do things. I must not be disciplining effectively and after tonight that will change! Today he was standing on the changing table and I heard him so I ran up the stairs. He wanted to jump off to G. Hello!!! Today he also got into our game closet. Here is where I have failed. It was fine at first, he got out a game, made a mess, then that was it. Now there are no limits and all the puzzles and games are out, and they are ALL OVER the house! Didn't you see that coming? You may ask. I tell you with his side kick they are like a whirlwind! It doesn't take long. Unfortunately E is slower at the cleaning up. I can't wait until he speeds up! Jumping on couches, standing on the arm of chairs, standing on the booster, getting into the pantry and helping himself to whatever he wants, pushing chairs around to get to the counter tops. I tell you, this is my first experience with this and I DON'T like it! Why is he not at all affected by the consequences to his actions!? Again, I have slacked off a bit, not effective!
Tonight I heard Q go upstairs... 'uh oh... MOOOOOM'. I start up the stairs only to get a whiff of a chemical, then I'm approached by a blue tinted ghost. E is covered in Comet! It is all over the bathroom floor. O is in the bathroom sweeping it around. All of the cleaning supplies are covered, there is a cloud of cleaner in the air and the boys are laughing. The blankets are in the cabinet, I think they wanted a place to hide, but once that Comet tipped over all interest in that game was lost, and a new one emerged! I can just see O dumping the can over his wide-eyed brother, laughing.
Fortunately E looked funny and I was caught off guard enough, that I didn't cry, I laughed and got my camera. I haven't mentioned yet that M has been out of town all week and I've been a single mother.
I reprimanded, but really by that point it's too late. They see nothing wrong with what they've done, it's all just fun. If I do time out or spank now, to them it feels like I did it because they are playing, plus I'm laughing. I've told them not to play under the sink before, I've done time out. They have stayed away from it. I guess tonight they forgot. I will just get a child lock for it.
Anyway I went to get the vacuum from downstairs. Q was now upstairs joining in some fun. I got upstairs, ended the fun and started clean up! I put my little blue people in the tub and started vacuuming. I followed the footsteps through the hall into the boys room, little blue footsteps onto the carpet, then little blue footsteps onto O's bed, then a puddle of blue dust that they shook off while they were jumping. Have you ever vacuumed a bed before? I went back into the bathroom and swept, vacuumed replaced the cleaning supplies, cleaned my vanity top to bottom, gathered up the rugs, dusted in blue, drained the bath water and refilled so the boys wouldn't get sick from drinking Comet water, then finished. My bathroom is really clean now!
Oh, heaven help me! I got the boys out of the tub and laughed as they charged naked for O's bed to air dry! Naked jumping, I'm sure it will bond them for life! Laughed again as O stuck the drumstick up his nose and called it his elephant trunk. Then again as he continued to stick it up his nose, studying how it felt.
Soon I will sigh as I put them both to bed. I wonder what tomorrow will bring.