Hold you Mommy

I thought I might try to write a little something before the end of 2008...maybe I'll do better in 2009. God knows we have lots of things to try to do better in 2009!! I've had many things I wanted to log on and write about, but the motivation to do so was lacking. I may just have to sit down at a separate time and record at least events that have taken place since my last real blog.

My mom asked me the other day if I'm ready for getting up at all hours with a new baby and doing this whole thing again. "Of course, and of course not!" I don't think I'd ever say I was looking forward to being sleep deprived and cranky and out of sorts, but it all comes with the territory. Looking back, I distinctly remember my nights and routines changing about a month before each baby arrived. Even with Jakob, Josie started waking me up almost every night multiple times to go outside, which certainly interrupted my sleep. It seems like each time one or all of the kids would become a little more clingy and develop this separation anxiety, not to mention wake up numerous times in the night before new baby's arrival. I feel like it is already happening as Joe is very clingy, and each of the three youngest have been up in the middle of the night often in the last couple of weeks. Between illness, bed-wetting, getting cold, bad dreams, sleep has come only a couple of hours at a time.

It all may be happening sooner so that we can all revamp as a family before March. There has been a lot of animosity between siblings lately, and it has become more than I want to deal with. It is an issue that has come to the forefront, forcing us to plan a little "sit-down" and talk about how we are going to restructure some of our bad habits into good ones in the new year.

We definitely have a couple of chief button pushers that instigate much of the arguing, but I'm sure that with a little more positive reinforcement and a little...ok, a lot less negative, we'll make some progress. It's not like we haven't done this before, I just think that old habits die hard. In spite of all of that, my little Joe, who has been increasing his vocabulary by the dozens of words each day, comes to me routinely, arms up and says, "Hold you Mommy". He is my snuggler...more than any of the others have ever been. His head goes right into my shoulder, arms wrap around me, his hand reaches for mine. "I hold you". I hope he wants to hold me for a lot longer. He is ornry, a little stubborn already, but a lover none-the-less, and those big brown eyes are as big as they've ever been. Benjamin on the other hand...is still Benjamin. Maybe the name Benjamin means "naughty". He was the perfect child for almost two weeks when he was at my mom and dad's. Since he's been home though he has been the perfect little devil. I'm sure I could devote a whole book to Benjamin. He is the epitomy of mischief!

Duty calls...probably one very big reason for not blogging. Three kids in a tub, screaming, shower running...better go. :)