I woke up this morning to Derrick and Brandon crying. The latter is not the case on a normal day. I walk into his room and low and behold Brandon is covered in a bottle of baby bath soap I had left in Derrick's baby bath under his crib. (Obviously that was a mistake) He wasn't hurt, he was only crying because he wanted to get it off and couldn't so he cried to alert me he needed assistance. Seriously? At least this time he showed a little bit of remorse . . .when he told me he was giving me the serious look I give him when he is in trouble. That at least is a step up from the norm of him looking at me and telling me did something he knows he shouldn't with a big innocent, no guilt present face. So I am trying to feed Derrick while Brandon needs to get cleaned up. I tell him to go and wash his hands off with only water in the bathroom sink. He comes back out covered in more soap - which he helped himself to in the bathroom!! GRRR!! It is on his hair and hands and clothes. I was just so done. I wiped him off with a towel and stripped him down. I probably need to throw him in the bath, for obvious reasons, but it feels like he would win that way - and I my frustration with him would somehow manifest in splashing him in the face over and over again, so I am still holding off.
I know the girls went through similar stages, but somehow when you are in the middle of it with any kid - it is as if that child is the only child who has done it and every other child could never have gone through something like this. They never could have been so disobedient. This of course is not the case, but oh man does it feel that way. Brandon is at that stage and it is driving me bonkers. He is into everything, he says no and is obstinate to almost everything. I am in need of new tactics to try with him as he is oh so trying to assert his independence and I am trying to both encourage the good kind and discourage the bad.
The joys of motherhood. Brandon is not a bad kid by any stretch of the imagination - he is a really good little boy. He is just in that stage and I have to just keep on top of him or his attempts to show me he is really the true boss will win out. Since that obviously cannot happen . . . .the exhaustion will continue. My efforts will show fruit eventually, but it always amazes me the will that such a small child can have.
I feel like I should write all the good things to balance this post out - but I think I will just save it for another post. This post is for you Lauren!
