This is what I am calling our new home and not because it is strewn with empty and bulging boxes around every corner, but because of an irresistibly cute little one we call Dylan.
The tides have changed, the wind is brutal, and our landscape has been altered. At times it feels you have been picked up and hurled, left broken and dazed on the floor wondering what the hell just happened.
I remember Maryn going through this kind of independent stage and it was just last year. Either it was not this intense or my memory is failing me. Dylan is intensely stubborn and hard-headed. He is trying so hard to express himself right now and his vision of this seems to not include listening at all. Rex and I have learned that it is a must with him to carefully guard the words that come flying out of your mouth. Maryn hardly ever pushed beyond the threat. It was enough for her. Plenty of times I can remember saying to Maryn, "you need to stop or we are going to pack up and go home". Nuff said. Dylan makes you prove it. Put your money where your mouth is mom! The three finger countdown is the climax and no one really knows what is around the corner. He does his best dusty duel stare down and waits for your move and you have no other choice but to carry it out. And whatever it is, you know it is going to be miserable....for everyone.
Rex had to carry out the "go straight to bed after bath" punishment the other night and came down after an hour of screaming looking as if he had been beaten. The great thing is I feel we have become a formed team in this, a united front like we have never needed to be before. We quietly offer each other the opportunity of a hand-off, pass of the baton I am done for.
And then there are times when you tell him to stop doing something and he tries to be clever and turn it into a joke just so he can continue the behavior. The other day, we asked the kids to stop using the word "hate" when talking about living things. It is perfectly okay to say I hate peas (non-living), but absolutely not okay to say I hate you (living). You get the idea. Dylan said hate to Maryn and it completely and dramatically devastated her. We told him to apologize to which he said, "sorry hate" and then giggled his little devilish giggle. "I said 'sorry hate', did you hear that".....sorry hate, sorry hate and on and on and on.
It is so amusing to me to watch Maryn turn into this perfect little angel during these episodes. You get these looks from her like, "man, can you believe he is acting so very terrible", "i could never even ever imagine doing that", "you must be really happy you have me"!
And then the thing that makes it all worthwhile: Dylan in my lap last night, grabbed my hand and put his foot in it. The feet I adore, the feet I hope would never ever change, the little chunky block feet that I could just eat up and says, "I love you mommy"!
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Oh, those are the days I'm glad we ended up with just one child and not two. But Dominic still can hurt his girl cousins feelings by saying stuff like that or by ignoring them all together. Pretty funny how easy girls get their feelings hurt. I never had to deal with it until we moved out here and my niece who is about 6 months younger than Dominic comes over and plays and they butt heads all the time because she's girly and D is so much a boy and refuses to play or watch anything that has to deal with a girl.
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