Sweet and Sour Sauce

A year and a half into having two children and I still find myself adjusting my approach and stretching beyond what I thought were my limits.

Austin turned 19 months this week.   Not really a notable age, but with the whole breaking his arm and then spraining his knee the next week - I kind of missed the opportunity for an 18 month reflection.  

Austin has morphed from a shy baby that would curl into his Mama in public to an outgoing, self-assured, strong willed toddler.

He loves to draw.   Austin spends his afternoons coloring and singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to himself, taking brief intermissions to find a hard object, track down his big brother and smack him over the head with it, and go back to drawing.

He reminds me of my favorite dipping sauce - Sweet and Sour.

I am very much at the beginning of the learning curve of brothers-being-physical-and-beating-each-other. 

This week we had our first experience of Ben actually fighting back and I had to stop myself from intervening.  Austin smacked Ben in the face.  Ben shoved him back.  And after a few tears...they worked it out.  Austin backed down after making some sort of growling noise at Ben and they went back to playing. 

But I do worry that Austin is slowly plotting Ben's demise.....

 Especially with his new response to everything Ben asks for, 'No! Never! (dramatic pause) Ha! Ha! Ha!'

This inevitably leads to Brannon and I cracking up and Ben sobbing 'Make him stop!  He is SO mean'.   I'm sure this will be a talking point in Ben's future therapy sessions.

Austin you are sweet, sassy, stubborn and too smart for your own good.   I know you are going to give us a run for our money over the next year - you are a spirited little boy who is not bribed easily - but I also know that your spirit, while sometimes exhausting, is a special feisty part of yourself that I hope you never loose.

Because underneath your refusal to eat more than five things and how you stare me right in the eye as you club Ben over the head with something....you still snuggle your sweet head underneath my chin at night and whisper 'tank ew Mama, tank ew' when I rock you to sleep.  You have such a sweetness to you.

Never let that spirit or that sweetness go.