I've had a few comments from people who follow my blog that I make things look so easy. So I wanted to write a blog post to share the more difficult times...because we certainly have those too! Daily! Sooo...to get a glimpse into the "not so pretty"...and to share with you some soul-bearing stuff...
*
Ethan is doing OK. He is 6 1/2 months now and loves fruit. Not crazy about peas or many other vegetables although green beans and carrots seem liked well enough. Strangely enough, he's throwing up as soon as I've fed him rice cereal. He throws up violently, about 5 or 6 times afterwards. I've tried buying different brands of rice cereal, made my own in different ways, from different grains. Still doesn't agree with him though. Maybe he's going the same route as Austen and I in the food sensitivities area. He's not doing anything as to rolling, crawling, or sitting. He's just content to "be lazy" :) and that's ok! Soon enough he'll be on the move! His sleep is not so good lately although he seems to be getting better...the last 2 nights have been much better. He'll wake for 2 hours at night, around 1 AM, and since I don't believe in the "cry-it-out" method for sleep, I rock him back to sleep. The result leaves me exhausted but it's a better alternative than the negative results of crying it out (just my opinion - I realize different families have different ways - that's ok!)
*
Mason is almost 3 (in May) and he is going through an awful stage of stubborness, whining, temper tantrums, spitting, wanting his own SPECIFIC way, hitting. biting,... It's exhausting but we can only hope that "this too shall pass" and keep being patient, kind, but firm...it's not always easy though! He's still napping during the day and not ready to give it up. This was evident this March break as we've had a ton of behaviour issues to deal with from him. He's had a lot of changes to deal with in the past 6 months so perhaps this behaviour partially stems from that too. He's not sleeping through the night on most nights either.
"Third" (as we like to call him behind closed doors) can be sooo funny though...he's a real clown and entertains us so much. He is so loving and adores his baby brother, always taking care of him :) .
*
Austen is now 5. He loves school and learns a lot. Both good and not so good stuff. He has learned to lie, to tattle, and to show disrespect. I know it goes along with many good things he learns at school and that all kids go through this but it's definitely not fun. Miss Megan also tried out several behaviour changes at home when she was in SK but Austen just seems a bit more determined to stir the pot. He does not get along with Mason 80% off the time. Those two are like oil and vinegar lately. But Austen is a real sweetheart when it comes to giving...he's always making stuff for us and others and gives away his treasures readily. He cracks us up with the things he comes out with, especially after a day of Sunday school.
*
Megan is 7 now and she can be sooooo sweet and helpful in one instance but have a real attitude in the next. She loves and adores Ethan and really takes Mason under her wing too but Austen and her are 50-50...can go either way. She loves to organize plays and dance recitals but is very bossy which doesn't go over well. She's enjoying school but can take things too far when playing and joking around with the other kids.
*
Then there's Ian and I. Many perceive us as always getting along (I've heard this from quite a few) but let me assure you that that is definitely not the case. While I'm not going to "air any dirty laundry" about our marriage, we've definitely had our struggles...from morning grumpiness due to lack of sleep, to not filling the dishwasher a certain way, to agreeing on issues with parenting, to larger issues. But, we've come through them and we're gonna keep on truckin' :) .
*
I love our house. I love the kitchen. I love the space. I love having an entrance (we had NO entrance at the old house). I love our stainless steel appliances, our washer/dryer, the A/C, and our 2.98 acres. What I don't love is the location. When we bought this house it was a very fast purchase. We were pressured by another offer coming into this house and in hindsight, we moved too fast. I can't stand the noise from the airplanes annd helicopters. I can't stand the BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! we hear all day and night from the military practising their drills. I can't stand hearing our neighbours yell all day. While others may not care about these things, I am bothered by them...I need quiet. Simple. Peace.
Yes, there are many regrets on my part on making this move to the house we live in. Some personal. Ian, however, is happy almost anywhere which is a good thing since we're living in the 3rd house we've owned within, what is it? 5 years or so. It's all about finding our "groove" and we are now committed to find our last home. A place we'll both be happy, succeed, and raise our kids. We want a FOREVER HOME. A place to mark the door frame with our kids' measurements. A house in the country. A place to grow old together. And we're tired of moving. Oh, so tired. But, that IS what it will take to find OUR HOME. And moving to our current home had to happen in order to figure this all out.
I'll share with you that we've started looking for our FOREVER HOME. We now know what we want and what we want for the future, for us, for our kids, and for our family. For those of you that know us well, we miss the C____ area. We miss our old house. I miss its location. The sliding hill. Lots. So that's where we're looking. We've done a lot of soul searching and things have become clearer now.
And I think we'll be successful. I know it.
