by katelin on June 22, 2018
Lately I’ve been experiencing a bit of parenting anxiety.
Mostly in the form of “Will Riley behave? Will Riley keep his hands to himself?”
Last week we were at a friend’s house and Riley and his friend started to disagree. Loudly. I couldn’t see it all but I did see them start yelling at each other, then I saw her yell right in his face and he immediately slapped her across the face. He slapped her enough that a mark appeared.
I was a combination of furious, embarrassed, frustrated and sad.
Riley has had issues with hitting in the past and I thought perhaps we were finally moving past it. And I was wrong.
In general Riley has had a hard time expressing some of his feelings lately and overall listening. Perhaps it’s because he turned three or the fact that Rhys arrived or you know, because he’s a kid.
Either way, it’s been giving me a bit of anxiety.
Any time we go to the park or the museum or basically anywhere with other kids I find myself silently praying he’ll play nicely.
I feel like this is one of those things the parenting books can’t really prepare you for. How do you raise a good tiny human? How do you efficiently get the point across to keep your hands to yourself? How do you not feel like a terrible parent when your kid leaves a bruise on his friend’s face?
I wish I knew.
In the meantime, we’ll continue to keep reading books and watching shows and reiterating to Riley that hands are for hugs and high fives and hope it sticks. And I’ll continue to give myself a break as a parent and not immediately feel like I’m failing when he does something wrong.
I know this is “a phase” and that eventually “it’ll pass” but it’s hard and the threenage years have proven to be difficult.
I love my child. But I do not love this part.
Posted in
Me Things
by katelin on June 14, 2018
On Saturday, Rhys turned three months old. I think that was by far the slowest fastest three months I’ve ever experienced. I feel like the newborn haze is slowly fading away and his little personality is starting to shine through.
He:
– Started laughing! Seriously one of my favorite parts of babyhood is the giggles. Riley got him to laugh first and then Matt and then me. It’s so adorable to see this little guy light up. 
– Adores Riley. No matter what Riley does (even if he hits him – which I’m annoyed to say has happened a few times lately. Hurray toddler tantrums), Rhys is enamored with him. – Is a little spew monster. Seriously, the spew. Still gross. Still over it.
– Did better than Riley on a road trip we took last month. And he’s starting to not hate the carseat all the time. An doing a bit better in the car overall.
– Tolerates bath time. It’s not the worst. But it’s also not his favorite.
– Loves story time. When I read to Riley before nap time I tend to have Rhys with me if he’s awake. And the little guys stays so focused, it’s adorable.
– Has had a few four hour stretches of sleep. And IT. HAS. BEEN. GLORIOUS. I’m not getting my hopes up on his sleep though since his naps are still sporadic and his overall sleep is questionable. But I’ll take the victories when I can get them. 
– Thoroughly enjoys his playmat. And thoroughly hates tummy time. He’s trying so hard to roll over but hasn’t quite made it yet.
– Is still eyebrow-less. It’s hilarious.
I:
– Am constantly burning the midnight oil these days and sweet mercy I could use a nap. A really good nap.
– Have ventured out more and more with both boys and sort of feel like I’m getting the hang of it (SORT OF). I’m also really proud of the fact that I thought to keep spare diapers and Rhys clothes in my car because I’ve definitely needed them lately.
– Am grateful for wine. And friends I can vent to/with. I feel like between the newborn stage and the sassy toddler, my patience is running thin and it’s good to have people that get it.
– Am watching The Handmaid’s Tail. I watched the pilot when I was pregnant and had to put a hard stop to that. Now that Rhys is three months old I decided to try again and it’s still just as creepy. I’m almost caught up on season two and my goodness, it’s scary because it all seems possible.
– Realized the other day that I’ve watched too much PJ Masks with Riley because I noticed when they changed a voice actor.
Posted in
Monthly Rhys
