Finally! A minute to type out a few things I don't want to forget!
This stage is crazy. A 2-year-old and a 3-year-old. I can't tell you how many meltdowns we have on an hourly basis. Someday I should try to count them. Or maybe not. You know that phrase "hopping mad." I can't believe it's been around since before Luke's existence. He is the epitome of hopping mad when he's upset about something. Thankfully he doesn't tend to hit or bite when he's mad, but boy has he perfected the art of hopping and screaming when angry! If Luke is the epitome of hopping mad, then Ben is the epitome of making excuses. A hundred times a day he pulls the "I'm tired" card when he doesn't want to obey you.
We started potty training Luke about a month ago. He's still in pull-ups while sleeping and on the go, but otherwise doing really well. He especially loves the treats involved with peeing and pooping in the potty. Usually Ben gets a treat as well when he gives Dewey (who has become Dewey-Luke, sounds like "Dewey-Loot") some encouragement with a high five.
Since daylight savings, Ben's number of sleeping hours per day has declined even more. This week I decided to change our bedtime strategy (again!). Trying to shorten our bedtime routine. I think we've been dragging it out too much. And, as hard as it is, I need to be more firm with him instead of giving in a million times to, "Mommy, hold you me, one minute." Sleeping 9pm-6am and a 1.5 hour nap... just not cutting it. Mommy needs more sleep. And though my motives are mostly selfish, I do believe he needs more sleep as well. His attitude was just UNRULY last week and I think tiredness is the root cause (and a sin nature of course).
One of the best parts of this stage is the verbal advances we see every week. Today while driving in the car Ben says, "The sun is in Ben's eyes." When I told them it was time to go inside and eat some sandwiches for lunch, Ben said, "5 minutes." Followed by Luke, "10 minutes." I have no clue if they understand what they're saying but it's pretty funny nonetheless! I told them they could watch a show if they picked up their toys. Ben puts one toy away, folds his hands and says, "Mom, Ben clean up." Luke will answer "good, good" when people ask "How are you?" Pretty sure he got that from daddy. The other day I had them in their double stroller in the Lucky Brand dressing room. I was trying on a few shirts and they surprised me when they actually had strong opinions when I'd ask what they thought. "Not this one... I like it... Yes mom... No, not like it." I was cracking up!!!
Their current favorite Netflix show is "Little Baby Bum." I feel a little less guilty about this one because they're actually learning their shapes, numbers, colors, adjectives, etc... I was laughing one day when Ben combined two of the lessons and kept counting, "One, Two, Orange." Hahaha!
Everyday I pray for patience and help to enjoy the moment. I think I'm starting to understand the experienced moms who say the days are long, but the years fly by!
