So, how do you juggle two.....?

Okay a little background about this week. Gabrielle has a bedtime of 8 p.m. Sometimes sooner if needed. Sunday we let her stay up until close to 10:30ish to celebrate a holiday. I think kids deserve that, that's what makes holidays so fun. It's the post holiday that isn't so fun. My morning child of course woke up Monday morning at her normal time of six. Knowing she would, my first thought when hearing her call for me was, "This is gonna be a fun day." Oh and was it. She threw some major fits. She took a really short nap as well. The next day she threw some fits, and yesterday was the only day she really didn't. Now these aren't her "normal" two year old tantrums. These are really stubborn, hysterical, going on for a while fits that I can't reason with her. I thought it was odd, cause she's like that when she's sick and she isn't sick. She has been telling us she has ouches in her mouth, but they are all better she says. Until we try and brush her teeth, then she tells us ouch, even though we couldn't see anything. We thought she just got in the habit of having it hurt her mouth when sick, that she was still stuck on it. Still with me, did I confuse you?

SOOOO today we went for a walk around the neighborhood with some friends who live in the neighborhood as well. Gabe knows there is a park in the middle of the neighborhood and always thinks we are walking there. Now, I don't mind park trips, but I don't want her to think she gets one every time we walk somewhere. Which she does, so upon walking the park got brought up and she wouldn't let it go. She's in this funny stage where we go to the park, and she doesn't want to play on anything. It's really odd. So anyway we do decide to go to the park, and the kids swing, and then Gabe doesn't want to do anything else. So we decided to walk some more. Once she understood we were leaving the park, she threw the mother of all fits. I'm talking, leaning out of the stroller, screaming, "NOOOO PARK!" Pointing to the park, cause she wanted to go back. Big old tears rolling down her cheeks, she's bouncing in the stroller up and down as she screams. WHOSE CHILD IS THIS? AND OF COURSE THIS IS HAPPENING IN A PUBLIC PLACE, attracting all the attention of the neighbors in the houses by the park. They seriously probably thought I was trying to kidnap her. I told her we could come back another day. That reasoning, which usually works just fine with her, just made her more upset. I couldn't really threaten to send her out, cause there isn't a wall to out her on. (I did eventually use that-ha) I even told her she could have some gum if she acted like a big girl. (Bribery usually not my first choice- but at this point I just wanted to be able to say good bye to friends) It didn't work. SO.......... when she started to lean so far over in the stroller, I though she'd fall, I decided to get her out. That didn't help. I got to carry her screaming at the top of her lungs, and kicking ALL THE WAY HOME. Lucky for me home isn't too far from the park. It was however far enough for a pregnant woman trying to push a stroller and carry a this crazy acting child. We get home I still can't reason with her, and it goes on for about a half hour. Don't ask me how it stopped, or how I even got her to calm down. I don't know, I'm just glad it did.

I then got her ready for bed. Oh yes, she was gonna go to bed. She let me brush her teeth really well for the first time in weeks.(cause she had mouth sores-and cause she's still been saying ouch) She fights us and fights us every night on it. We do our best, but it's hard to get the kind of brushing that I got tonight. Weird out of all nights she let me tonight huh? Well I did discover a molar half way through her gums. I thought she was getting them when she got sick with her mouth sores, but it looks like just now they have decided to join the party. Is this the reason for the random fits? I have no idea, but it's good to know she has that going on.

ANYWAY getting back to the title of this post.......upon putting her to sleep I wondered, how do you do that with two kids? How does a mother do that? When my child was kicking and screaming, where would the other kid even have been and what would I have done? This really is my worse fear right now. How am I to juggle two? Not just with the first one throwing fits, but just making sure Gabe isn't left out or feeling lost when I need baby time. Gabe got jealous of Adam and I watching home videos of her as a baby the other day. She didn't understand it was her! It's already begun. Adam and I just looked at each other knowing this will be tricky.

It's funny how my fears and worries are so different with this kid, than when pregnant with Gabe. Right now I just worry about how to juggle it all. Then I think OH MAN how do people with three, or four kids do it? You people AMAZE me. HA. I know it'll all come into play just like things did just fine with Gabe. BUT YOU CAN'T HELP BUT WORRY. I'm sure you all felt the same way. Even if you didn't, tell me you did you'll make me feel better. ;) I know I'll have days where I'm ready to rip my hair out, or I feel like I could have done something different. Or even days where you feel like you could be a better parent. I hope the days where you feel successful in helping them accomplish something, or they just want to cuddle you still come with more kids. I think those good days are what are going to make me forget crazy tantrum days like today...well at least I'll keep my fingers crossed it will when more kids are added to our family. Anyway, I'm done now. Off to try and sleep some, now that my mind is more clear.