Monday, April 30, 2007

Breaking the Silence

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted anything. I think mostly we've just been really busy and I haven't been thinking much about what to write, plus I somehow think each entry has to be just right and so end up not writing at all.

Anyway, we're coasting along pretty well most of the time now. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean by that that having two 3 year olds is a walk in the park, but in some ways things are getting, well, somewhat less hard. (Note that I did not say "easy".) Most nights we don't have any wake ups, so I'm consistently getting 6 or 7 hours of sleep. What a difference that makes, I can tell you. The boys are so talkative and they play really well together most of the time. They aren't quite to the point where they can be fully trusted on their own, but we're getting there I think.

Naps are a thing of the past. If we happen to be in the car anytime after noon, they might doze for 20 minutes or so, but beyond that it's a rare thing. Today was therefore a bit of a shock to me. Kemper was being really whiny and uncooperative after lunch. I gave him several warnings - if he's acting that way, he really needs a nap and if it continues I'll send him to his room to rest - that went unheeded. When I finally lost my patience, I told him he needed to go upstairs and take a nap. He collapsed into a fit of tears, saying he didn't want to take a nap. I gave him an alternative - help me clean up his toys. His response? "I'm too tired!" At which point I said, "Then you need to go upstairs and take a nap!". Guess what? He did just that! I was in shock. He climbed the stairs, got in bed, and pulled the covers up. Slept for over 2 hours, too.

I love my boys, but sometimes when I luck into one of them falling asleep in the afternoon I get a taste of what it must be like to have just one kid. It seems so EASY. Today Rowan was as pleasant as could be the whole time Kemper was asleep. And it was great to have some time together without the competition they're so accustomed to. Of course, after a couple of hours Rowan started in with "Mommy, I want Kemper to come down now".