Well, since my last post things have calmed down considerably. Big Seattle Company decided not to continue the interview process with me after the second phone interview, so that is off the table. A bit burnt about being rejected twice, but I was pretty conflicted about it anyway, so whatevs. I am now concentrating on NC for the job hunt, especially now that they recognize gay marriage! Wow, wow, wow. Not something I thought I’d ever see in my lifetime- so very happy. Isn’t it ironic that it was the passage of these discriminatory amendments that actually sped up marriage equality? By taking action to prevent us from equal rights, they’ve actually paved the way for us. Thanks, bigots!
Monkey is still terrorizing the MM (and us) and I’m hoping it’s just a passing phase. He just can’t keep his hands and feet to himself and he’s constantly yelling and screaming out for no reason other than to make NOISE. He’s always been a handful, but it seems to spike up to out of control at times. It’s so hard to keep your cool when watching someone hurt your baby – even when the one doing the hurting is your other baby. We’ve tried many different methods for changing the behavior but so far, nothing has worked. Honestly I think he needs more outdoor time to get all that energy out, but it’s not always easy with the MM and nap time. This is why I am seriously longing for a yard. It would be so awesome to be able to send him out back to play in a safe, fenced in environment. Y’all who have yards, savor that shit. I’m jealous!
In other news, we’ve been getting into the Halloween spirit with a trip to Knotts.Scary.Farm, 2 pumpkin patch visits, and another coming on Friday. We’re considering a Disney.land day trip, but we’ll see.
The MM is doing a lot of talking these days and it is ADORABLE. He can say:
- Brother
- Kitty
- Mama/Mommy
- Here
- There
- Yeah
- Batman
- Spiderman
- Elmo
- Thomas (as in the train)
He has more words than this, but these are the ones we hear most often. He also imitates almost everything we say. Notice that”No” is not in that word list? The MM is super sweet and mellow and hardly ever says no. Now, I’m sure that will be changing in the near future, but for now, I’ll enjoy my sweet little baby. He is still nursing quite a bit (I’m ready/not ready to nightwean soon) and is a decent eater. His sleep has been a little tough lately as he’s really been wanting to be on the boob all night long (see nightweaning above), but we have never been up for hours in the night like we were when Monkey was his age and he stays in bed until 6-7 every morning. He is very clingy with me lately, which is both sweet and a little maddening. I love my little Mama’s boy so so much!
two girls' path to parenthood 
I am sorry about the rejection. Not a good feeling at all. But, as you know, I am on Team Move to the South and a firm believer in things happening for a reason 😉
I hate the care required, but do not take our massive backyard for granted at all. I love being able to put Boo down for a nap, grab the baby monitor, and head outside with Little Monster for some outdoor time. Yep, you NEED a yard!
As for Monkey, yes that is really difficult. Is the aggression strictly directed toward MM, or do other incidents arise at school or other situations?
It’s mostly toward the MM, but when he gets really angry at me or DW, he will hit us as well. I haven’t see it with friends or at school (thankfully). I think he’s still adjusting to life with a little brother – having to share us and especially me with him. I’ve been trying to do more 1-on-1 time and it is nice when it’s just us, but it’s right back to beat on the baby when we return. Sigh.
It always sucks to be rejected. I hope you find something good in NC.
Thanks!
Sorry to hear about the job. It’s tough, but I am sure you will find something. (So not helpful, I know, but still…)
Also very sorry to hear that things haven’t improved with Monkey. I imagine you’ve tried everything. We find a time out to cool down (we talk about breathing a lot) and then a “time in” to discuss what happened, how he was feeling, how he could have reacted differently etc. works well.
We do this approach, but Monkey never wants to talk about what happened. He averts his eyes, refuses to answer questions or talk at all. I usually ask him to look in my eyes and I try to tell him how much we love him, how we know having a baby brother can be tough, it’s okay to be angry but never okay to hit/kick/push/etc. Then he’s back at it within minutes. Sigh.
Sorry about the job – although maybe it’s a blessing in disguise, as now the choices are more limited and therefore perhaps a bit easier?
As for Monkey – ugh. It sounds like things are really rough. I hope some 1 x 1 time, outdoor play, and emotional checkins like suggested above work out for you! Poor MM! Poor Mamas!
Thanks. I’m glad the Seattle option is off the table. It was just too much.
I’m with Amanda…things happen for a reason and you aren’t meant to move to Seattle. Sometimes having decisions made for us make the easiest decisions to live with. Sigh–I am one of those people who take my lovely fenced in backyard for granted and we are actually thinking of LESS. Less house, less yard, less stuff….maybe I should reconsider considering Monkey and Chunk sound a lot alike.
This may be totally irrelevant….have you noticed if eating something with Red40 makes a difference in Monkey? Chunk would get into Hulk-like rages and most of it can be linked to eating something with serious red dye. After eating a cupcake once with red frosting he was so crazed that he slapped me in the face, spit at me, and I literally had to hold him down with my thighs to protect myself and him. Not pretty or worth the red icing. I have taken it completely out of his diet (except maybe if he is headed to Tiff’s) and it has gotten better. Might be a long shot, but worth a shot?