We are getting settled around here with just Mama and the two boys! I've done all right for the last two weeks with regular trips to the park, meeting (and hosting) new friends with kids that Stefani has introduced me to, and playing around the house. Only one park accident (falling off the slide -- scary) and one near meltdown from me (once when Michael just wouldn't listen all morning and I was really tired) on the bad side. It is definitely an adjustment, though. Michael has overall been doing great with his little brother. Every time he goes to sleep and wakes up, he asks "Pah-mah?" (Malcolm -- don't ask us.) He always wants to check on him and make sure he's okay and we're feeding him too! In the mornings he climbs up on the bed and gets right up next to Malcolm's face without actually touching him and says "Pah-mah" over and over again. So this is sweet of him! Only twice in the last two weeks has he actually grabbed at the baby in frustration. I shut this down as fast as possible, but it's a reminder that you can't trust a one-year-old to know what's appropriate with a baby all the time.
Michael has been a little challenging recently as he heads towards two. His moods can change in an instant and the only way to really manage his mini-tantrums is staying right on top of him. This is tough to do sometimes while nursing or holding the baby. If I know Michael will throw his bowl down if he doesn't get seconds at lunch, to mitigate that I will pick up the bowl immediately after he's done and before/as I'm answering the "Mas?" question. But I can't always move that fast. Michael also throws other things when he gets frustrated. He actually will go to another room to find something to throw if there's nothing at hand. I know that so I try to stay ahead of him but I get pretty frustrated too. I do distractions and managing the environment as much as possible, and I think that's all I can do. Mike definitely helps with consistency on this on the weekends and evenings and he is better than I am at handling Michael's attitude most times.
Last week we went to Northpark mall twice since the tropical storm hit on Wednesday and Thursday. The double stroller worked out perfectly (fit in the car and through the doors and aisles!) and our first outings like this went great. I brought snacks for Michael to eat in the food court area before it opened. Not too many people first thing in the morning so it was perfect for him to run around and get us out of the house. On Friday it wasn't raining so we did the park, but I did have a minor panic moment when I realized we still had two hours before nap after we'd done lunch, a short movie, park visit, and playing already that morning. So I threw the boys in the car and we did our first trip to a store (Buy Buy Baby -- I had to return something). It took up an hour and a half and we made it to naptime. I'll have to get more creative in the future, but for that day, success!
We are getting settled around here with just Mama and the two boys! I've done all right for the last two weeks with regular trips to the park, meeting (and hosting) new friends with kids that Stefani has introduced me to, and playing around the house. Only one park accident (falling off the slide -- scary) and one near meltdown from me (once when Michael just wouldn't listen all morning and I was really tired) on the bad side. It is definitely an adjustment, though. Michael has overall been doing great with his little brother. Every time he goes to sleep and wakes up, he asks "Pah-mah?" (Malcolm -- don't ask us.) He always wants to check on him and make sure he's okay and we're feeding him too! In the mornings he climbs up on the bed and gets right up next to Malcolm's face without actually touching him and says "Pah-mah" over and over again. So this is sweet of him! Only twice in the last two weeks has he actually grabbed at the baby in frustration. I shut this down as fast as possible, but it's a reminder that you can't trust a one-year-old to know what's appropriate with a baby all the time.
Michael has been a little challenging recently as he heads towards two. His moods can change in an instant and the only way to really manage his mini-tantrums is staying right on top of him. This is tough to do sometimes while nursing or holding the baby. If I know Michael will throw his bowl down if he doesn't get seconds at lunch, to mitigate that I will pick up the bowl immediately after he's done and before/as I'm answering the "Mas?" question. But I can't always move that fast. Michael also throws other things when he gets frustrated. He actually will go to another room to find something to throw if there's nothing at hand. I know that so I try to stay ahead of him but I get pretty frustrated too. I do distractions and managing the environment as much as possible, and I think that's all I can do. Mike definitely helps with consistency on this on the weekends and evenings and he is better than I am at handling Michael's attitude most times.
Last week we went to Northpark mall twice since the tropical storm hit on Wednesday and Thursday. The double stroller worked out perfectly (fit in the car and through the doors and aisles!) and our first outings like this went great. I brought snacks for Michael to eat in the food court area before it opened. Not too many people first thing in the morning so it was perfect for him to run around and get us out of the house. On Friday it wasn't raining so we did the park, but I did have a minor panic moment when I realized we still had two hours before nap after we'd done lunch, a short movie, park visit, and playing already that morning. So I threw the boys in the car and we did our first trip to a store (Buy Buy Baby -- I had to return something). It took up an hour and a half and we made it to naptime. I'll have to get more creative in the future, but for that day, success!
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