Our sweet little boy is 22 months old, happily trucking along on his way to his second birthday. Daddy and I can't believe it.
It is both wonderful and frustrating (not to mention overwhelming) to see how he's changed, even since the school year began. Some changes are marvelous! Others, are well, not.
Some of the good:
Caleb is clearly growing in physical affection. I am the major recipient of it, as I am the one home with him all the time, but he doesn't do the same things with Brian as he does with me. He definitely shows a softer side toward me. He gives me kisses, gently strokes my face, leans his face close to mine, strokes my back, and almost wraps his arms around me when I'm on the floor. If' I'm on the floor, he often tries to climb into my lap or lay his head on my back. He is clearly liking the opportunity to be more physical. With Brian, he's a bit more rough around the edges, because the two of them wrestle together, and while he can be rough at times with me, he definitely saves his softer side for me. (A man after my own heart, I must say.)
He is a good imitator, which is great when it comes to chores. He absolutely loves it when I vacuum. It is our thing we do together. He follows me around with his scooter and mimics my movements with his wheels. He's actually been doing this for a while. I recently was showing him how to dust furniture, and now he reaches for the dusting cloths himself and tries it on his own. So cute.
Caleb definitely likes a place for everything and everything in its place. Not that he doesn't make messes. Of course he does! But he is also very good at putting things back. I think he has also picked this up from me, as I can't stand things scattered on the floor all day long- he's learned to put things away, too. If I let him play with his plastic fork after dinner, he will run to the dishwasher and put it in the silverware holder when he's done with it.
Some of the difficulties:
Here I'm not sure where to begin. After all, no one likes to speak badly of their own child! However, we've stumbled into some hard times recently, and things that did not used to be battles have suddenly erupted into World War III.
It is very hard to "take care" of Caleb. He makes it extremely difficult. He fights diaper changes and runs around the room or out of the room, making it the most annoying thing in the world for me. He will fight nap time in the very beginning, until I hook his interest with his bedtime stories. He absolutely refuses to get his fingernails and toenails clipped, and while it takes both me and Brian to wrestle him into submission to get his fingernails cut, he still has some long toenails that are driving me crazy. Some of that is that his foot is very ticklish, and even holding it in my hand drives him bananas- the rest is just lack of submission, as he fights the fingernails also. I used to have no problems brushing his teeth, but just earlier this week, it has started to become a battle, and he runs around and tries to escape me. When he does this, I put him in his pack 'n play for a time out, which he despises, and when he stops yelling like a crazy person, then I brush his teeth while in the pack 'n play, and he's ready for it by that time.
My sweet boy can be very demanding, and if something is not done in two seconds, boy, does he let you know how he feels about it. He makes for a very tough boss! In fact, all my tough bosses in the past now look easy in comparison. He whines, a lot, and that is no doubt due to the fact that he still cannot say any words, but it does wear on me to hear it all the livelong day.
Wrangling him for bedtime has become difficult on the nights Brian isn't home to help me. I don't know if Caleb is just more used to it with the two of us, or what, but he runs like the dickens and makes the task something I dread when Brian isn't home. Once I have him dressed, his teeth brushed, his hands and face washed and we read stories, we are good to go. I absolutely love holding him in my lap- sitting cheek to cheek- while I read stories, read the Bible, pray aloud, and do one last brief nursing. With Brian home, I do love it even more, though, because it is that much more wonderful to be all together.
Those are just a few updates on Caleb. I love him more than life. We definitely are in a trying time, and to be honest, there are some days and moments I feel like sticking my head in the snow for a good long while. I compare notes with my sister, who has four, and Caleb just seems to be more tough and defiant than any of hers. He definitely does not like to give in easily, and teaching him how to be submissive is a long journey for us. It is tiring and draining for sure, and when Brian is gone extra (two nights in a row this past week), I can be worn to the bone myself. I stumble and fall all the time, and I even ask for Caleb's forgiveness (not that he can understand, but I do it anyway), if I've lost my patience with him. I know this is just a season, but man, it is a hard one!
One thing is for sure: Caleb is a fighter. I trust that we will be able to corral all that energy and put it toward the greater good- serving our Lord with all his might, and fighting for Him, not against Him. If we can teach him that, we'll be successful parents indeed!
