Terrible Two's

So, I must admit I was always kind of wondering how Jeffrey would handle having a new baby in the house. I don't think anything could have prepared me for how he has handled it so far.

It has caused a lot of pondering on my part, and conversations with Shane, my mom, my sister-in-law, which have all been helpful.

It has also helped me realize a few things about Jeffrey, and look at things from his perspective.

Initially I wondered what on earth had happened to my happy go lucky little boy, because the boy that was picked up and brought to my house was not him! He had disappeared!

This made me think of all this poor kid had to go through before Emmett was born.

Before, I spent about 8-10 hours a day with Jeffrey by myself every day...typically. Then, in the two weeks prior to Emmett's birth, that routine was shaken to the rafters, and Jeffrey was watched by people, whether it be my sister-in-law, my mother-in-law, or friends and neighbors.

Then in the week before Emmett was born, he spent almost the entire time at my mother-in-law's. After Emmett was born, he stayed with my sister in law for three days. So, he hadn't seen me or Shane for about a week and a half. That's a long time for an 18 month old! I can only imagine what he was dealing with; some new normal where he didn't know what was what!

Add in teething. His last four eye teeth have been pushing through.

Add in that stage of life when most kids start going through the terrible twos.

Yes, it's been fun times at our house!

Ironically enough, he likes Emmett from what I can tell. He always wants to touch him, or pat his face. He calls him the bay-bay. If Emmett cries he gets real concerned and makes sure we are doing something about it.

Things have been improving though. We came home on Friday, and picked up Jeffrey that afternoon. From that time to now, I would say about 90% of it has been crying. If Shane tried to play with him, Jeffrey would cry. If you tried to hold him, he'd cry, if you asked him if he wanted food, he'd cry...and so on.

At first I was really worried about what I could do to get my happy boy back. I also wondered, of course, what I could have done so he wouldn't have been so sad. Then I came to the realization that this was the way Jeffrey was going to be, whether it be for a few days, or a few years, and  I was going to just have to accept it.

Once I accepted it, things became much better for me, emotionally.

As the days have gone by, Jeffrey has been improving some, and hasn't been as prone to crying. His naps still are all crazy, but he is definitely going to sleep better than he has been. Hopefully, having things more "back to normal" has helped him realize that if he goes to sleep mom and dad are still going to be there. Dad is still going to play with him. Mom still can't pick him up, but dad can.

My hope is, that as time progresses, he will continue to improve! :)