It's official - the fisticuffs have started.
While Flipper was originally an object of curiosity to Action Man and we could explain the occasional poking and prodding as him being inquisitive, I am now forced to admit that there are occasions that he hurts Flipper just because he can and because he wants to. It makes me angry in a way that I never thought I would be with him, even though I know that it is normal.
It mainly happens towards the end of the day, when everyone is tired and cranky and I am at a bit of a loss as to how to deal with it. I know that the two of them wrestling etc will just be a part of life - as one of two girls I don't know this from personal experience, but Hubby assures me that this is normal and ok - but the deliberate hurting is not ok and I don't know what to do about it or if there is anything I CAN do about it with an almost 2 year old.
Does anyone have any tips?
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
I haven't blogged for a while, having found myself (quite unusually for me) with not much to say. Or perhaps more accurately, a lot to say but not the words to say it in - again, quite unusually for me.
Lots has been happening - difficulties at work, lots of work, the election (which I was quite captivated by) and the reappearance - not recurrence I emphasise - of some effects of my difficult times post-Flipper's birth. Perhaps I will get to these more in the next few posts, but my thoughts for tonight are easy to express and I want to record them.
I came home from work today - having been caught in the most appalling traffic jam on York St in the city (which would not have been so bad if my petrol orange light had not been on since yesterday morning and by this time causing me some concern!) - and had both boys (plus Hubby) meet me at the door. Action Man shouted "Mummy" over and over again at the top of his voice and Flipper gave me the loveliest of grins, showing off his three new teeth that are on the way through - all at the same time!
It struck me that there are probably few other times or situations in life that we are greeted with such enthusiasm and unaffected glee as we are by our children. There are no distractions, inhibitions, they see no faults in us, and they show on their faces and with their words exactly what they are feeling. Its quite humbling and the most amazing feeling.
And I feel the exact same joy back at them - and they are at the age when I can show it exactly the same way. There are no "oh mum" comments as I gather them in for a kiss and a cuddle as I expect there will be during the adolescent grunting stages that I am assured they will go through at some point. Its lovely.
I then made the connection that this must be how my parents feel when they see me - even now that I am grown up with my own children. And I was struck again by the realisation that I had when Action Man was born and I experienced for the first time the strength of parent/child love and really appreciated for the first time what my parents feel for me, and what they have done for me.
It is these things that make life so special, and our relationships with our family such a special part of life.
Lots has been happening - difficulties at work, lots of work, the election (which I was quite captivated by) and the reappearance - not recurrence I emphasise - of some effects of my difficult times post-Flipper's birth. Perhaps I will get to these more in the next few posts, but my thoughts for tonight are easy to express and I want to record them.
I came home from work today - having been caught in the most appalling traffic jam on York St in the city (which would not have been so bad if my petrol orange light had not been on since yesterday morning and by this time causing me some concern!) - and had both boys (plus Hubby) meet me at the door. Action Man shouted "Mummy" over and over again at the top of his voice and Flipper gave me the loveliest of grins, showing off his three new teeth that are on the way through - all at the same time!
It struck me that there are probably few other times or situations in life that we are greeted with such enthusiasm and unaffected glee as we are by our children. There are no distractions, inhibitions, they see no faults in us, and they show on their faces and with their words exactly what they are feeling. Its quite humbling and the most amazing feeling.
And I feel the exact same joy back at them - and they are at the age when I can show it exactly the same way. There are no "oh mum" comments as I gather them in for a kiss and a cuddle as I expect there will be during the adolescent grunting stages that I am assured they will go through at some point. Its lovely.
I then made the connection that this must be how my parents feel when they see me - even now that I am grown up with my own children. And I was struck again by the realisation that I had when Action Man was born and I experienced for the first time the strength of parent/child love and really appreciated for the first time what my parents feel for me, and what they have done for me.
It is these things that make life so special, and our relationships with our family such a special part of life.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Where has my cuddy baby gone?
Flipper has always been a cuddly baby. He has been happy to sit and be held, taked to, sang to, and generally cuddled. Action Man - as the name implies! - was never really cuddly. He was always on the move. I would sit at Mothers Group get togethers while the other babies sat on their mum's laps and cuddled while my little fellow struggled and kicked to be allowed to be on the floor moving about and investigating. In the last 6 months or so he has embraced the cuddle - pardon the dodgy pun! - and will often ask for a "mummy cuddle" which I love - but he is definitely a busy little fellow and HATES with a passion having to sit still for any length of time.
As I said though, in contrast, Flipper has been a cuddler. That is, until now. I was always guaranteed a litte cuddle before bed after his evening feed but now he just wants to be off and following his favourite person in the world - his brother - around the bedroom floor.
Lovely to see him developing his own will and personality, but I miss the cuddles .....
As I said though, in contrast, Flipper has been a cuddler. That is, until now. I was always guaranteed a litte cuddle before bed after his evening feed but now he just wants to be off and following his favourite person in the world - his brother - around the bedroom floor.
Lovely to see him developing his own will and personality, but I miss the cuddles .....
Friday, November 9, 2007
Ideal weather
I love rain - or I used to love it before I had children. With two under twos - and particularly an energetic 23 month old - rainy days are a challenge, and we struggle for ways - any ways! - to get out of the house during the day. This sometimes leads to disastrous trips to the shops such as that undertaken yesterday - but no need to rehash that particular debacle here!
But, I can still love rain at night. For most of this week, and particularly the last 2 nights, I have gone to sleep to the sound of rain on the roof and woken during the night to hear it again. I lvoe that.
It struck me at about 3am when I was drifting back off to sleep to the sound of the rain that for me, the ideal weather pattern would be sunny days and rain every night. Who do I need to apply to to make this happen?
But, I can still love rain at night. For most of this week, and particularly the last 2 nights, I have gone to sleep to the sound of rain on the roof and woken during the night to hear it again. I lvoe that.
It struck me at about 3am when I was drifting back off to sleep to the sound of the rain that for me, the ideal weather pattern would be sunny days and rain every night. Who do I need to apply to to make this happen?
Monday, November 5, 2007
A big step
Something big happened in our house over the weekend. It may not sound big to everyone, but it is huge to me.
We moved the Boys into the same bedroom together. And in the process, we moved back into our large, light, airy, bedroom which has an attached sunroom where I can sit at my desk and work, blog or look out the window, and built in wardrobes!
Our house is only 2 bedrooms, plus a study type of room which is quite small and in the centre of the house. The study has 3 doors, which come off the kitchen, dining room and lounge room and can be, and often is, the main thoroughfare between these rooms.
When we found out that we were expecting Flipper a lot earlier than we had intended to expand our family, I decided (in my wisdom, whcih may not have been so wise) that rather than have the baby in with Action Man and potentially ruin his fantastic sleep patterns, and rather than have the new baby in with me where I would get no sleep whatsoever because I would wake every time he moved, Hubby and I moved into the study, Action Man into our room and Flipper went into the 'nursery' on his own. We made our new bedroom nice, we blocked off one of the doors, painted and bought a new rug, but it was still a small room in the middle of the house, where I could really not have my own space or properly escape from everyone. I am a person who needs my space - a lot.
And, for reasons that I will probably blog more about at a later date (and am still very sensitive about) our family has had quite a rough time since Flipper's arrival - mainly due to me and how I coped with an unplanned baby, a very small toddler, a very difficult pregnancy and completely unexpected major feeding difficulties.
The recovery has been slow .... but steady. Going back to work has helped, the boys each getting older has helped, me getting my head right has helped, and the latest instalment, getting my bedroom back has really helped. It sounds so trivial and silly, but I feel so much more at peace and at home in my house, I can get my alone time, our lives feel more 'normal' and less transient and for something entirely trivial - my clothes are more easily accessible!
We turned the 'study' into a playroom for the Boys which is also great - they can spread their toys out and we can still have the lounge room in some semblance of order.
What is also lovely, and that I didn't expect would affect me the way it has, is seeing the Boys sharing a room, hearing them chatting away after we put them down to bed, and when they wake up - seeing them interacting with each other as brothers brings us more together as a family and I love it.
And all this has been achieved with very minimal disruption to nighttime sleeping through and the one daytime sleep that they have at the same time - just as an added bonus.
It feels trivial to feel so transformed by this, but I do - its another step towards getting 'me' back.
We moved the Boys into the same bedroom together. And in the process, we moved back into our large, light, airy, bedroom which has an attached sunroom where I can sit at my desk and work, blog or look out the window, and built in wardrobes!
Our house is only 2 bedrooms, plus a study type of room which is quite small and in the centre of the house. The study has 3 doors, which come off the kitchen, dining room and lounge room and can be, and often is, the main thoroughfare between these rooms.
When we found out that we were expecting Flipper a lot earlier than we had intended to expand our family, I decided (in my wisdom, whcih may not have been so wise) that rather than have the baby in with Action Man and potentially ruin his fantastic sleep patterns, and rather than have the new baby in with me where I would get no sleep whatsoever because I would wake every time he moved, Hubby and I moved into the study, Action Man into our room and Flipper went into the 'nursery' on his own. We made our new bedroom nice, we blocked off one of the doors, painted and bought a new rug, but it was still a small room in the middle of the house, where I could really not have my own space or properly escape from everyone. I am a person who needs my space - a lot.
And, for reasons that I will probably blog more about at a later date (and am still very sensitive about) our family has had quite a rough time since Flipper's arrival - mainly due to me and how I coped with an unplanned baby, a very small toddler, a very difficult pregnancy and completely unexpected major feeding difficulties.
The recovery has been slow .... but steady. Going back to work has helped, the boys each getting older has helped, me getting my head right has helped, and the latest instalment, getting my bedroom back has really helped. It sounds so trivial and silly, but I feel so much more at peace and at home in my house, I can get my alone time, our lives feel more 'normal' and less transient and for something entirely trivial - my clothes are more easily accessible!
We turned the 'study' into a playroom for the Boys which is also great - they can spread their toys out and we can still have the lounge room in some semblance of order.
What is also lovely, and that I didn't expect would affect me the way it has, is seeing the Boys sharing a room, hearing them chatting away after we put them down to bed, and when they wake up - seeing them interacting with each other as brothers brings us more together as a family and I love it.
And all this has been achieved with very minimal disruption to nighttime sleeping through and the one daytime sleep that they have at the same time - just as an added bonus.
It feels trivial to feel so transformed by this, but I do - its another step towards getting 'me' back.
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