I love the Sabbath day. Especially if I've taken the time to prepare our home to be peaceful; there is the opportunity to feel a spirit unlike during the rest of the week. Today I did really well at being patient and loving; I'm really grateful that I was able to be more like the kind of mother God wants me to be and less like the kind of mother I am inclined to be when tired and frustrated.
Yesterday Leo did not want to stay in bed. He did not take a nap, despite my hour-long efforts. He did not want to stay in bed last night, either. So after 30 minutes of putting him back every few minutes I gave up and went to the mall while Josh dealt with it. He let Leo sleep on the floor next to Guy. Leo went to sleep, but at 11:00 when I was ready to go to bed they both started crying. I held them, sang to them, and put them back to bed. Then at 2:30 they both came into our room crying. Put them back to bed. At 6:30 Guy came in, insistent that he was NOT going to lie down, take a nap, close his eyes, or take a rest. He wanted to play on the COMPUTER! I got up and took a shower, and let him play in the water, and we got up and started our day.
All of this to say, I'm really longing for a good night's sleep right now. And disappointed that it's likely months away. At least we managed to convince everybody to take naps this afternoon--but only after putting socks on Leo, realizing that he can't climb out as easily if his feet are covered! That should buy us a little bit of time, at least.
Now we're debating on how soon to get a crib. We shall see.
Oh, and my blood pressure at my last appointment was 138/89, so now I get to go to the midwife twice a week. Lucky me! Here's to a healthy baby and easy delivery. Sometime in the next two weeks. :-)
6 comments:
Glad everyone was able to sleep well last night, though :) We miss you guys and I wish we were closer so I could take your cute boys for a few hours and give you a much needed nap! Love you :)
Wow Emily, I haven't been to your blog for a while, and what a pile of posts I found here! Looks like things have been rocky! I'm glad to see that you have had moments of triumph in the middle though. I will be praying that the birth goes well and that a new baby will magically transform your home into a quiet, peaceful haven. (dare to dream, right?)
Let's race and see who can have their baby first. :) j/k.
Steph---YOU'RE ON! Ha!
Hope he comes soon! and that your BP doesn't get any higher so you don't have to have mag again!
You're doing great! I am working on the being patient thing, too... I think sometimes as mothers we feel too much stress to keep our kids quiet, in bed at nap time, and eating their dinner. When in reality, none of that is really an issue, and instead of barking at them to be quiet, go to sleep, and eat their vegetables, we can be kind and gentle and patient and teach them something. (this is what I have been struggling with lately).
I just got two 8 week old puppies (they are now 9 weeks old, I guess) and my dad said I am a glutton for punishment. But then I was thinking about how much I am learning about raising children just from having these puppies. No amount of forcing, pulling, pushing, or yelling will get these puppies to do ANYTHING. The most effective method of getting them to come, go potty, and get in their crate is to 1.) squeak a toy so they chase it - hence "coming" 2.) showering them with praise and adoration "Good puppy!!" while nudging them in the direction I want them to go, or immediately issuing the command ("go potty" "leave it" etc).
Children, I am remembering (because I was a really effective mother with Vince when he was younger) are very similar. They respond better to enticing and praising and rewarding, and a lot worse to yelling, threatening, and picking up and carrying. I'm trying to change - and I notice a HUGE difference with Vincente when I want him to do something (like come to bed) and he's dawdling. When I am patient and acknowledge what he's looking at/doing, he is a lot more likely to come to bed. If I threaten him with timeout for disobeying, or pull him, etc, he only becomes more belligerent. It's AMAZING to me the difference.
Like in Mosiah where we learn about yielding to the "enticings" of the Holy Spirit.
*sigh* being a mother is hard work. I'm glad we're not alone doing it! :)
You are such a good example to me! As always!
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