BABY STRIKES BACK

I actually find it really hard to concentrate and write well when Thomas the Train is screamingly loud on the TV. But I learned this morning that if I don't have it on, and my two year old is feeling better after a week of wheezing and fevers and an ear infection, then he will get into all sorts of mischief. Mischief at our house is exploration and learning. Mischief at my parents house in Texas is expensive. Whether the cost is monetary or in my time and attention, its a pain in the A. So please excuse me if there are typos, grammatical errors, bad syntax, because in my head is an earnest little blue engine wishing he'd listened so he could be a 'really useful engine.'

Before we left for Texas, which was an adventure I'd rather not relive as it was exhausting and stressful, but worth it, Peter started crawling. A lot. Everywhere. Fast. And I started to notice some things about my sweet little Peter I had never known before. First of all, he's super curious. He is more interested in the world around him than he was before. He loves doors. He loves opening and shutting opening and shutting them. Right now, at this very moment, he has discovered my parent's tv console cabinet door...unforutnately its glass...be right back...

OKay, two hours later...Peter's new hobby, besides slamming doors open and shut, is following Benjamin around stealing his toys or knocking them down. He also likes to kick Benjamin in the head at every opportunity. The last opportunity was when they were riding in a shopping cart, Peter in an infant seat and Benjamin in the regular seat. I had to hold his foot to keep him from doing it and push the cart with my free hand alone. So every time I left the cart to get something, there his leg would swing and kick kick kick to B's head. B tolerated it admirably. Minimal yelling and screaming.

The upshot being, I am no longer worried about Peter, or his likelihood of survival in my house with all the big kids. That boy is going to be just fine.

The other thing I wanted to say was this, and I didn't say it, Glennon Melton of Momastery said it, and since she's amazing and brilliant I am not going to paraphrase. Just directly quote:

Listen to me: God said the most important thing to do down here is to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Implied in this commandment is that if you don’t love yourself, you’re useless. You cannot save anyone else. All you can do is save yourself so that those you love can see how it’s done.

Glennon Melton, Momastery

To that end, there are  some new developments in my life that include weekly yoga classes, regular afternoon breaks provided by my husband, and possibly anti-depressants. I am really stoked about all of those things. Keep you posted. 

Creating Momology

The suffix -logy means 'study of'. I am starting this blog because I have learned over the last two years of being a mom that it is an ongoing study, there are no hard-fast rules to follow, and the stories and musings of other bloggers has been sanity saving since I discovered all of you out there. We need to share with each other, and be there for each other, desperately. Plus, the word 'momology' is just cool, and I couldn't convince my partner in crime, I mean business, to let us use it for our baby swag venture.

Meanwhile, as I write this, I have had to change two poopy diapers (on the same kid) one regular diaper, feed two babies breakfast, pump breastmilk, and now I have my 2 year old begging to go play with his choo choo upstairs. I have to open the gate to let him upstairs. Very easy to do. But I also have to go lock the baby's room so that 2 year old doesn't go in there and crawl into the bed with the 8 month old. When this first happened, my husband and I said 'aw! how sweet! he wants to sleep with his brother!' and envisioned the lifetime relationship/bond developing between them- the two Ochoa boys against the world, running and flipping through life together like some sort of cloned Jackie Chans, never letting the other fall off the wall. I don't know why they are jumping onto walls. Insert tasteless Mexican joke here. I digress.

That feeling of sweetness and bonding (which was only experienced by us, I am sure) was shattered when, one day, when they were supposed to be napping, I ran upstairs when the sleeping baby started hard crying (you know the kind I mean) and I found 2 year old Benjamin jumping on the baby. Yeah. Fuzzy feeling gone. Thank goodness Benjamin is skinny and the mattress gives a lot.

Now I feel I must insert apologetic and defensive words about how Benjamin is a totally normal 2 year old (he's not quite 2 yet, but he is in the way that all of his skills are 2, so he's 2.) He loves his brother in that 'let me hug you now let me ignore you and accidentally on purpose sit on you' way that is typical of his age. He's a sweetie head, especially when he wants something. His baby brother worships him. I know this probably equals big trouble in a few years. Benjamin loves to sing, loves to hug, loves to have conversations about 'who is this? what is this? where is that?' and play with messy things. He still kisses with his mouth wide open, like a baby. When he was one year old he became enamored of a Russian Opera singer and walked around the house imitating the movements and vocalizing he saw on YouTube- on key. Extremely entertaining kid. I adore him. He made me a mother. He changed me on a cellular level. Literally.

Right now I can hear him grunting next to his train table. Sigh. Third poopy diaper. Then laundry, then maybe I will get to shower before I go off to enjoy my Sunday. This is how this blog will be- Starting with one topic, and moving around as I am distracted and pulled (by the hand, by Benjamin) in different directions. Mostly I hope it helps me focus on the important things while I navigate through mommyhood. I hope it reminds me to laugh at all the ridiculously cool things my kids come up with. I hope it reminds you to laugh, too.