The 10 day forecast looks SWEET - although that 1st day of the warming trend keeps being put off. Originally it was Saturday now its at Wednesday. In any case its at or above freezing for the next 10 days. As long as it gets cold again gradually I am excited for our January thaw.
Our little Kierstyn is a very stereotypical girl baby. Much more engaged socially and verbally. She tries to mimic our faces, laughs at raised eyebrows, bemused when someone wears a hat. She is working on her mouth muscles so much more than any of our other children. She raspberries with and without the tongue, she makes kissing sounds, she puts different affectations in her laughs from a big old gurgly baby belly laugh to a simple "ha-ha" Nelson laugh.. She is a communicator. A few days ago she started saying ma-ma. Last night she looked straight at me during dinner and said mama. All the kids were in an uproar. We had all heard her say mama before, but in our opinion she meant it for the first time.
Its so bittersweet to see babies progress, especially the last one, but talking is all sweet. Its so satisfying for everyone to know what is wanted. There are so many fewer tears when a child can communicate its needs. So many toddler & preschool temper tantrums stem from the simple issue of the child not being able to communicate with others. Its very frustrating. So I am excited that it seems as if Kierstyn might be an early talker. Early talker does not mean talkative. Our earliest talker is our least talkative child. Not that she isn't a great communicator, she just doesn't want to waste her allotted words needlessly.
The other thing that was crystal clear to me last night was how much everyone adores Kierstyn. Every child in this house loves her. I think it can be frustrating to the younger children who do not get to hold her as much and don't always play with her as gently as they should, and so they get reprimanded or criticized. I'm sure she is seen sometimes as the baby that took their mama's attention away. I've been encouraging both the younger boys to come do animal chores with me so we can have some alone time. Of course who would want to work with mom in the cold - blechh. Tin insists that I brush his teeth, and he must lay on my lap so Kit has to go elsewhere. I think he finds a lot of power in that, and his place has not been usurped.
I think the bigger issue is with my older boy nearly 7 1/2 and leaving little boyhood to big boyhood. And my eldest joins him as he leaves boyhood and enters manhood. Its a struggle to move on. To take on bigger responsibilities and more independence and theoretically more freedom. For Spencer its a little more clear cut - if he wants the later bedtime he has to do "big boy" chores. More work = later bedtime. Be there when I need you mom, but get out of the way when I don't. Don't interfere unless I ned you to, and yes mom it is up to you to figure out when that is. That's all of parenthood really. Knowing when to take their hand, and when to watch and cheer, and when to just be quiet and offer your shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen, with those few moments when everything is just right. And with 6 children not everyone has ever been content all at the same time. But there is solace in that, "we got through it with her we can get through it with him" or " he's doing ok, surely we are doing something right." Sometimes I so badly want to just hug them and keep them with me forever, and other times I wonder why I chose to spend so much time with my children. And then I look at them and I see what amazing people they are and it is such a treat to be part of their lives. Its getting through those trials that make us all stonger and usually strengthens that bond we have. And then the reward after all the struggles of the transition. It is so bittersweet to see our babies progress.
1 comment:
great post! Enjoyed it a lot!
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