I Can't Help it...I Heart You

This is my little valentine. Sure, it's late, but aren't her pj's cute?

Aaand her pants are falling down...

Something cracked her up. I am guessing it's the sight of Pluto on Mickey Mouse Club House. "Dog-guh!"

What??

Maybe complaining is a magic elixur that rids you of negative feelings so you're freed up to look at things with a new perspective or even a small bit of humor? I dunno, but I will say that I feel like this week has produced a few victories - however small - that make me feel like MCM is learning.

Leland has been out of town since Sunday - not fun. It's amazing how helpful it is to know that your partner will be home at the end of the day! Losing that reprieve has made things a little busier around here. But, I will say that it feels as if the extra time MCM and I have spent together has allowed me to get through to her in ways that it felt like I couldn't recently. It takes considerably more energy and creativity, but I am seeing ways to get through her negative moments and the constant barrage of "No!" I don't want life to be a constant battle, and it seems that the more I attack the saying no, the more likely she is to keep on keeping on. Somehow, I have to calmly turn things around.........sometimes it calls for more than that..........I see that it takes an incredible amount of time, attention and being in the moment, not to mention PATIENCE...and did I mention energy? There is no time for lazy parenting around here.

One thrilling aspect of this week is that MCM has actually eaten meat and vegetables every day. This is quite an accomplishment for a fruitarian! Today she actually asked for chicken, which is unheard of. When she wanted to push it aside in favor of a bowl full of rasberries, I successfully coaxed her to eat more chicken by simply giving her the option to either eat one more bite of chicken and then the rasberries or to go ahead and be all done. After going back and forth for about 10 minutes, she picked up a piece of chicken and started eating. I know it sounds ridiculous, but unless you have a truly picky eater, you just cannot understand how this thrilled my heart! I've tried everything from force-feeding, to time-outs, to becoming a short order cook simply to ensure my child is getting nourishment. So far, reason hasn't budged her an inch, but maybe we're turning a corner?

This is definitely an intense time of parenting for us. Maybe life will continue to be like this for a long time. If so, that's just life. Each child is unique, and I have made it a goal from the beginning (so has Leland) to simply accept each child we are given for who they are. We want to teach them, but we don't want to make them into robots or carbon copies of ourselves. We ask God to show us who these children are uniquely designed to be, and we hope and pray that we can help shape them into the best "them" they can be. This is messy work. Relationships are not cut and dry. They are not easy. They require give and take. Parenting in particular is interesting business as you seek to balance creating/maintaining relationship with your child with establishing yourself as an authority figure in their life. Often, it feels like the two are at war with one another, but I suspect it's more a case of creating harmony and not straying too far in one direction or another. (Although, I also suspect there are times when one must take precedence over the other.)

Ah, I don't know. I am mostly just typing aimlessly, because I am afforded the time while MCM naps and I fail to do housework. You can't do it all, right? At least not every day...