Wife and Mommy

I’ve been rather irritated with my youngsters today.

Then again, they haven’t exactly been in the best moods either.

Cupcake has been perfecting her whining. If throwing tantrums was an Olympic event, she’d have multiple medals to her name. Bito hasn’t been whining, but has been rather opinionated today. Add to that this growling thing he’s got going on. Most of his communication has been in a growly tone, although it’s not vicious or cruel. He just likes to growl apparently.

I think we all need a good night’s rest.

And so it was with a short temper that I was getting them ready to sleep tonight. The Husband was running interference with Cupcake’s 500th whine-fest as I was preparing to nurse BabyMuffin. Exasperated, I finally asked Cupcake, “Do you want to be my baby right now? Come sit on my lap and let me hold you like a baby if that’s what you want.”

Amazingly, Cupcake agreed. She is not a cuddly girl unless she decides she wants to be. We sat down in the glider and she snuggled in my lap. I held her in arms like she was a baby, stared into her face and I told her about the very first time I held her:

Cupcake smiled up at me as I told her this story. She sank into me and relaxed. And I felt myself soften as I remembered that sweet moment of holding her for the very first time. I continued to whisper to her, telling her what she was like as a baby and the little things she did that made her so unique. I finished by singing her special song (each of my kids has a song that I’ve made up for them).

By this time, Bito was standing next to the glider, eager for his turn in my lap. Cupcake got down, although she made it clear she wasn’t in agreement that her turn was finished. I folded my big boy into my arms and he scrunched his knees up into his chest so that he would fit. And then I began with him. I softly told him about his entrance into this world (I’ll have to tell that story in another post sometime), his life as a baby, how our lives had changed completely when he came along, and what a blessing he is to us. I told him a funny story about the first time he slept in his crib. I sang his song to him, and just rocked him, enjoying the sweet smell of my freshly bathed boy.

We were all in better moods after this snuggle-fest. I didn’t snap at the kids anymore. They were better behaved, less whiny and no longer belligerent. I nursed BabyMuffin and thought about how glad I was that I’d had the time to just *be* with my youngsters. They’re pretty cool kids.