Blogging has been difficult lately.
For starters, I've been really busy with Grandpa Doug and the rest of the Gates/Hopwood gang taking off for Stony Lake this week. We at the
Clinic went months without seeing a foreign body surgery case, and even longer without seeing one that needed cut after hours, but guess what happened on Monday? That's right. Goldendoodle. Underwear. Ileum. I love those surgeries, but it made for a long day.
I couldn't believe my ears, though, when I got home and learned that Jenn had taken all three kids to The Ledges in the afternoon, and that... wait for it... they were all very good throughout the day. GASP!!! Amazing!
It's good to have those times, because the tougher times are taxing. Henry is a different boy around me compared with how he is around Jenn. His relationship with her hasn't changed much since the beginning. He's been attached to her from the beginning and she's often his preference. He's more comfortable in general, but he still saves his "very needy" moments for Jenn. When she's playing mom to a four year old and two toddlers, more neediness is tough.
Henry got his first haircut today, and he exceeded my expectations. He sat on my lap, sucked his fingers for only a short time, and didn't cry. Here's the do...
Henry's adjustment overall to this point has been very good. He's learning (emphasis on learning) to eat with a spoon. We're still working on the fork. I can't get him out of the bath tub now, and he pours water on his own face. He is helpful with getting dressed. This morning was the first time I picked him up out of his crib and had him lean against me in hug-like fashion. He was great with the big crowd last Friday of Gates-Gates-Hopwoods, even showing some personality at the dinner table. He's showing good comfort with wrestling behavior with Lincoln and Lydia. He's enjoying the sandbox. He's not fussing and crying when he sees us approach the pantry on a consistent basis. He's sucking on his fingers less during the day. He's interactinve in the car.
Lincoln continues to be a good big brother to Henry. In fact, at bedtime this evening, I said, "Lincoln, you're being a very, very good big brother to Henry. The only times you had any slip-ups today were with Lydia. If you would treat Lydia like you treat Henry, your days would be FANTASTIC!" To which he replied, "I'm nicer to Henry because I like Henry better than Lydia." Oy. I responded, "You still need to behave like a good big brother to Lydia, and I know by watching how you are with Henry that you know how to be a good big brother." This is probably only a foreshadowing of things to come.
There are still some instances where Henry wants us to behave in a certain way or do a certain thing and if we don't do it on his time schedule (like right *now*, he gets upset. Sounds like a 19-month-old to me! Here's the anatomy of a cry. What's going on here is this: he enjoys pushing Lydia's borrowed (thanks Uckers!) tricycle around, and every now and then he wants to sit on it, but he can't yet climb on it himself. His metamorphosis of facial expressions speaks for itself...
For those who have remembered us in their prayers, we are grateful. I'm not sure how families, particularly families with toddlers (plural), get through these times without supernatural intervention. We certainly need and are continually seeking the L
ORD's presence on a daily basis.
