Lazy Days

As I just wrote the title of this post, I started second-guessing myself.  We are definitely overall having some really lazy days, but in a lot of ways, they are not too lazy either.  This post has been on my mind for weeks but I have been lazy and haven't gotten around to doing it. 

We have officially entered toddler land.  Seriously.  Now, I know that Jacob was pretty much an incredible baby.  I know this.  He was so easy on us newbie parents.  And I am grateful.  But seriously, he turned thirteen months and I swear he was switched with some other child!  We, all of a sudden, were thrust into a world of tantrums, constant whining, hitting, and all sorts of naughty behavior.  Before, if Jacob got into some place he wasn't supposed to you would tell him "no" and he would move on and all would be well.  Now, Jacob seems to only like the forbidden places, all of the things he knows he shouldn't do or be - that is where he is!  It's a little exhuasting.

There were about two weeks there when I thought Mark and I were just going to go cooky.  Jacob was taking hours to go to sleep, waking up five or six time in the night, wasn't taking his naps, didn't want to be held, didn't want to be put down, uggg...it makes me tired even thinking about it.  I felt like I was saying "no" like a million times a day and I was tired of saying it and I know Jacob was tired of hearing it.  Of course, I just finally thought, "something has to change." 

We started praising like you wouldn't believe.  Any little thing that Jacob did that was good, we made a big deal about it.  We'd clap, say every "praise word" in the book, smile, the whole shebang. 

positive reinforcement = happiness 

Honestly, I feel stupid like, "duh, why weren't you doing this from the get-go?!"  But I guess we just got all worked up that we just forgot about it and who likes getting "in trouble" constantly?  Not me and I would guess, not Jacob either.  No wonder we were all a bunch of grumps. 

Things have gotten loads better.  There are still times when it just seems endless.  But then I just remind myself that he is just a totally normal toddler.  Jacob was an exceptional baby, really, he was.  I like to think of it as my little reward for having such a crummy pregnancy.  But he was just so good to us when he was a baby.  And now, he is just acting normal, it's not bad, it's just different and I think we were just wanting to keep him at that high standard and I am learning that this is all just apart of that great journey called parenting.  And I wouldn't change going on that journey at all.

So, since we have been in this time of transition, we haven't been going on many excursions.  We have gone on lots of walks and then just hanging out.  I feel like this last week or so we are definitely in this new phase where I think we are all ready to get back into a routine.  As much as it pains me to say, that is the one nice thing about Mark starting school again on Monday.  Routine will come back, and I think we need that right now.  So now we are just trying to soak in our last days of relative laziness.