Family Living: Abbott Style

"Can I sit on your lap...." Yes... The answer is yes . And will always be  yes. Shortly following the newborn stage, my darling daughter would express a distaste for being held. She was my busy and independent girl from the littlest of ages.  I felt robbed.  She wouldn't even allow me to rock her to sleep.  Some of the best advice I ever got in parenting is "parent the child you have, not the child you want them to be."  Now, I know how that sounds.  I love and have loved my Haley, as is.  But I had a certain expectation of how I envisioned parenthood, and there was a real let down for me when I had a daughter who simply rejected the simple affectionate gesture of being held.   Haley is now quickly approaching 4 and a new stage has approached us.  Cuddling with Haley.  Finally she is asking for affection.  Finally she is asking to be held.  Finally she is asking for cuddles.  And my heart couldn't be happie...

It has been awhile since I have been raw and candid.  Or even written on a regular basis.  But when I reflect, I get so much joy of looking back and re-reading the different stages we have gone through.  So here is a snap-shot of where we are.   It's January.  Another new year. Cabin fever has set in, and today has felt like a total failure.  It is out of Owen's nature to be extremely temperamental.  It is not, however, out of his nature to be clingy. Today, I experienced both. All. Day. Long.  Which, with two children now, is tough.  I can't take the crying and fussiness, so I can't really blame Haley when she acts out---acts out in frustration, acts out wanting attention, acts out because of sensory overload. By the end of the night I was drained.  I was vacuuming the floor--feeling very woe is me.  I reflected on the moments where I snapped at my kids--shamefully in front of YMCA employees.  Shamefully in front of strangers...