Our Child is a Terrorist

Don't freak out everyone, he's not really a terrorist. Unless you're his mom, or his dad. Then he's definitely a terrorist.

This last week, Emmett started throwing tantrums. Insane, loud, ugly, mean, nasty, day-long tantrums. We have no idea where they came from, but they are here y'all, and they are crazy! When he wants me to pick him up, tantrum. When he wants me to put him down half a second later, tantrum. He used to sign "please" or "more" or "all done", but no more. Now it's just screams and screeches and flailing and more screams.

Since he started daycare last week, he's been super attached to me. "Mamamamama" all day, always wanting to be held, pulling on my shirt begging to be nursed (we're working so hard to wean him, but he's not having it). He wakes up 13 times a night just screaming/screeching and calling for me, then falls asleep again, so tired. Separation anxiety is the worst!

We spent the weekend trying to head off tantrums, taking him to a birthday party, to the park, to the splash pad, to the bookstore, just doing anything we could to keep him busy and distracted so he wouldn't yell at us. We're afraid of our own son! Okay that's a major exaggeration, but not really. He's terrifying right now.

I know he's just getting used to a new schedule, new people, new places. I took a lot of time off the last few weeks, so he's become used to me being home most of the time. He freaks out when I leave him, and even follows me into the bathroom. If I leave him at all, it's big fat tears and screams and flailing. It's so sad! He's just playing me though- as soon as I'm gone he's happy, playing with his toys or his friends until he sees me again. Then it's more screams and tears, just enough to punish me.

He's mostly really sweet and fun, but those tantrums are killing us! We've had a rough few weeks, and it's easy to forget that everything going on in our lives affects Emmett too. Poor little thing is just trying to figure it all out and get used to his new schedule. So am I, so I can't blame him!

Balloon obsessed at a friend's birthday party.

Warming up in the sun after running through the sprinkler.

Shivering at the splash pad!

Baby boy loves to be upside down these days. Whatever it takes!

Quick Post: Firsts!

Linking up with Corinna from Track 8, for Keepin' It Real Mondays!

Little Emmett has had a few firsts this week! I'm so proud of him- he's such a little boy now and growing up all the time!

First first- He started preschool (daycare, at a local preschool) on Monday! He LOVES it loves it. We walk in the door and he runs around the room from toy to toy, excited about every one, and loves all of the other kids. It's so much fun. I've cried each day when I leave but so far he hasn't even noticed that we're gone. He just plays all morning. I pick him up at noon and he's just sitting in a tiny chair at a tiny little lunch table pointing at all of the other kids and finishing his lunch. It's the cutest thing I've ever seen! 

I haven't taken any great pics yet but I did manage one outside the school that includes him and his little lunchbox, which he's just kicked over in the dirt:

Second first- Tonight, Lucia gave Emmett his first hair cut! He has almost no hair on top, but he's got a thick ring going around the back. We call it a cul-de-sac. The hairs in the back have grown super long, which makes for really adorable bed-head and don't even get me started on how they look blowing in the wind. It's crazy cute. We really wanted Lucia to give him his first haircut, and since she leaves for Georgia on Friday, tonight we decided it was time. We gave him a sink bath, and Ray went outside to make faces in the window to distract Emmett and keep him still while Cia cut his little hairs. Oh my gosh it was cute!

All of these firsts are great- I'm so proud of him and everything he's doing is so cute and fun! But oh my gosh it's hard at the same time. I wish he'd just stay a tiny baby boy forever. Oh, the life of a mama is so full of ups and downs! Pride and joy and sadness and pain, all mixed together spells parenting. I wouldn't change it for the world. 

Keepin' It Real: Working Late

Linking up with Corinna over at Track 8 for another installment of Keepin' It Real Mondays!

I had to work late today. Things are crazy at work and it was 5:40 before I finished answering emails for the day. That left me about an hour with Emmett before putting him to bed tonight.

Ray is working early and late this week, which means he gets maybe 15 minutes with Emmett in the mornings and he'll be asleep before Ray even comes hom in the evenings. I can't imagine what it would be like if long(er) hours were the norm for us.

Some days the hard/crazy/chaotic part of parenting isn't parenting at all. It's everything else. Oh, to be JUST a parent! To have no worries or cares or struggles except for making sure I'm the best parent I can be to my baby boy.

Keepin' It Real Y'all

Linkin up with Track 8! Have y'all entered Corinna's Freshly Picked giveaway yet??

Today was a long and exhausting and rough day for all of us. By the time we got home from work, no one wanted to cook, so we threw in the towel and went out for burgers. We try really hard to make sure Emmett eats well balanced, healthy meals, but tonight, we just didn't have it in us. He shared our burgers, fries, and even some ranch dressing.

Part of me was mortified. All I could think is What must all these people think of us! Any second someone is going to walk up to our table and call us out. "How old is that baby!", I kept hearing them say in my head. "French fries?! Are you kidding!?" Instead everyone in the tables around us just oohed and aahed and chatted with him while he played with his food. The rest of me was just relieved to be sitting down to a meal as a family that we didn't have to work for. We'll give him an extra helping of veggies tomorrow!

Some days we just do what we can to survive, and we pat ourselves on the back for getting through the day.

Life Is Good!

Things are good right now y'all. 

Not perfect, never perfect, but good. Work is slowing down, and I see an end to the busy season in sight. Yesterday we got some rain and the temperature never hit 90. We had dinner outside for the first time all Summer. Such a treat! And Emmett, oh Emmett. He's at a really great age right now. 

The last couple of weeks he's really changed and grown up. All of a sudden there's a little boy walking around our house, talking and laughing and interacting with us. He's a little human with a little (big) personality, and we're loving it so much. He seems bigger and taller this week too! It's crazy how that happens every couple of months.

Some new things he's doing lately:

• Reading. Devouring books, all day every day!
• Animal sounds. Cows, dogs, cats, ducks, and more and more dogs. Our house sounds like a zoo!
• Walking better and faster and steadier each day.
• Talking! He says mama and daddy and up, and making so many noises, having conversations with himself and with us. He's able to tell us what he wants and needs now.
• Reaching for me when I come in the door. He runs to me and reaches his little arms toward me. It's awesome!
• Sleeping through the night! Okay, it only happened twice, and he's been waking up at 5 every day, but he's never slept straight through before so I'll take it!

Every night Ray and I go on and on about how much we love that little boy and how great he is. We're smitten and so proud of him. 

So anyway I'm feeling good and life is good and it's nice to feel this way. It's been a long tough Summer but things are peaceful and joyful and sweet and I'm content. 

Keepin' It Real: No TV!!

I'm linking up with Corinna at Track 8 today for Keepin' It Real Mondays! On Monday! So proud of myself! ;)

My husband is on a no TV for Emmett kick right now. Okay I shouldn't say right now.. We try really hard to limit Emmett's screen time all the time, but the boy loves Veggie Tales and Sesame Street and after a long day at work we find ourselves snuggled on the couch with him for an episode before dinner. So this weekend Ray got fed up and we became determined, once again, to keep the TV turned off when Emmett is awake.

Meanwhile, Emmett is obsessed with books! Corinna and Evie gave Emmett a box set of Sandra Boynton's most popular books for his birthday, and we read them over and over and over again all day long. He makes all of the animal noises in Moo, Baa, La La La!, and goes crazy for the "Aaaa-ooooooooo" in Doggies. It's really funny. Over the weekend he re-discovered his basket of books and one by one he pulled them out, squealed in delight as he recognized the covers, and ran them over to Ray or I to read to him 10 times in a row.

Listening to his daddy read "Moo, Baa, La La La!" before bed.

Reading in his teepee. Those buns!

Sunday morning Ray got up with Emmett at 5:30 (new wake-up time... suuuper fun for everyone) and let me sleep in until almost 8. When I came downstairs, I found the two of them cuddled on the couch watching Harry The Bunny episodes, surrounded by books strewn all over the floor, the couch, and the coffee table. So much for that anti-TV resolve!

I can't blame him though. You can only read "Blue Hat, Green Hat" about 1200 times before you crack and run for the remote.

A couple of photos from our weekend:

These two are inseparable.

Baby boy found a tunnel in the shelves at Gap. He had so much fun running back and forth!