The Second Child Syndrome

We have all gotten that email.  The one where they show the difference with one and then two kids and then three.  With the first one you sanitize the pacifier in boiling water first and with the second kid you run it under cold water, etc.  

I had so many, should we say, lil ideas about how I was going to raise my newborn.  He wasn't going to watch more than a half a hour of TV a day, would only play with wooden toys, eat only nutritious and healthy food (have I made you gag yet?), the kids would never eat in my car...oh the list goes on and on.

That email sure was right and I bow down before its truthfulness as I feed my 11 month old a mini Hershey's Chocolate bar while she and her brother start on some more Sponge Bob while playing with obnoxious electronic toys...did I mention my car is covered in puffs, Cheerios and Popsicle juice?

How does it happen??

Yes, how does it happen that when I take the laundry out of the dryer about 100 popcorn kernels come flying as well?  Was someone trying to make popcorn in the dryer.  Its not a bad thought really.  It does spin around and get really hot...

Sufficed to say this is not the strangest thing I have ever pulled out of the dryer and it definitely wont be the last odd thing that comes flying out of the dryer I am sure.  I used to fight things like this, now, I am good as long as it isn't alive and that is pretty much the only requirement...well that and the electronics (but he and I already had that convo.  Goodbye sissy's sound machine!).

Now if I had  this laundry basket/washer/dryer I wouldn't letting the kids anywhere near it.  It is just a concept for Electrolux that I stumbled onto online and fell madly in love...a girl can dream... 

The iBasket is a hamper/washer/dryer combo. The transparent iBasket stores your dirty clothes. Once filled, the automatic wash and dry cycle begins. After it has finished drying, the iBasket will send you an email or text message to let you know it’s done.

Bustin'

So Maddox comes out of his room playing with a choo choo train when he saw his sister sitting on the ground with Mommy playing with his piano keyboard.  He rushed up and began  to tug it out of her hands.

Of course I told him no, we don't take toys out of other people's hands.  Yes, I know it is yours, she knows it is yours.  Okay, that's it, if you are going to take this then you give her the train.  

Well, after a bit more of that he let his sister continue to play and strode off to his bedroom.  

Not 30 seconds later I felt a light tap on my shoulder and I looked up to see that Mad is back and standing over me with a quizzical look on his face and he says to me...

"Why you always bustin' on me?"  

Ummmm, say what?  Bustin'?  What the?  Where did you...?  Huh!?  Since I was rendered ridiculous he just turned and walked away.  He has since asked his father the same thing when he got in trouble for messing with the cat's water dish.  Bustin'.  Yeahhhhhh.... I don't know where he got it but I do know I will be cutting back on the cartoons my friend.  How's that for bustin'?

Me do it!

It has happened.  My baby is shedding his baby traits.  Everything right now is "me do it."  

He wants to brush his own teeth, put on his own clothes, wipe his own bottom (yeah, um, how do I get it across to him that Mommy needs to help or we will have a visit from Mr. Itchy Scratchy Bottom all day long?).

The upside is that now he wants to help me around the house.  He loves to vacuum and help put the laundry in the machines.  Of course now I cant vacuum without him chasing after me screaming "ME DO IT!" at the top of his lungs.  

How did this happen?  How did he go from Mama does everything to Mr. Itchy Bottomed Me Do It?  My husband says that I need to let Maddie have more freedom and let him do more things on his own.  But it is so hard to simply stop doing for the boy when in the past three years it has become automatic to take care of all things Maddox.  Now I am just supposed to stop or know when to let him do it on his own.  Ahhhh, cutting the proverbial cord is hard!