Wednesday, June 22, 2011

So help us, God

Well, we were out of town for a week and just got back in last night. Did you miss us? I tell you what, I missed this house! Sharing one room and two suitcases for a week certainly wasn't unpleasant, but it is nice to have drawers, closets, and separate bedrooms!

Coralie did so well on the trip. She went to Connecticut with Ryan and me for a family wedding, and we all had a really great time. (I am sure I will post more about our time in CT later.) It made me realize how much easier it is to have one kid! My patience grew exponentially, and my enjoyment of our three-year-old intensified. It makes me question yet again whether or not we should have more kids as I so dearly love my two children. I don't want to miss anything they do, and the more kids we have, the less time I get with each of them!

Madeline, however, did not do as well on the trip. It's funny how our girls are so different (Coralie is stubborn, a little hard-edged, precocious, energetic, and very smart, and Madeline is sweet, charming, and easy-going) but are SO SIMILAR. For instance, both our girls have iron wills. Coralie's is pretty obvious, but Madeline's is sneaky. She was pouting (that seems too mild a word!) that we left her behind and refused-- REFUSED-- to drink anything for my parents. For two days, she screamed and cried and tantrumed if they tried to feed her a bottle. They used every trick they could think of to keep her hydrated enough to survive until we returned (I am not joking when I say their motto was "I think she'll live until Sunday. I think she'll live until Sunday."): spoons, cups, sippy cups, ice chips (hahahahahahahaha my baby needed ice chips ohmygosh), and droppers. You guys, they tried to feed her like a HUMMINGBIRD. If it weren't so important for her to be hydrated, this would have been hilarious to watch!

Long and stressful story short, all three of them lived. They figured out that instead of taking four bottles a day, Madeline would sip throughout the day IF they handed over the bottle and let her feed herself. (Mom says she washed bottles all. day. long.) She didn't sleep as long for her naps, either, but Mom swears she wasn't cranky unless they were trying to feed her.

Oy, my children.

How is it that my girls are so strong-willed? Seriously!

Heaven help us when the girls hit pre-teen age. We'll need it.

1 comment:

  1. You are very generous with your parents! Yes, Madeline is strong-willed, but I think she enjoyed watching us dance like cartoon characters, smash ice on the counter to make just-right ice chips, use a dropper to get 1/20th of an ounce at a time down her little gullet, and make bottles as a useless pastime. She was always ready with a laugh. She made me feel totally incompetent!

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