Preparation

Practice makes perfect!



By the way - Dario is super cute, born on January 7 and has been a great teacher for a soon-to-be-big sister.

Behavior modification

Annika is going through the terrible 3.5's. Now, to put it in context, a terrible Annika isn't so bad...but it is frustrating. The obvious answer might be that she's reacting to the imminent arrival of her baby brother or that she's going through a lot of her own changes that are affecting her behavior. Maybe a combination of both. I'm naive enough to think that the arrival of her baby brother isn't affecting her quite yet...when we talk about him, she is excited and well understands that he'll be limited when first introduced to our family - that he won't be an immediate playmate ready to play in the sandbox or kick the beach ball around the back yard. That said, when we talk about him sometimes, she abruptly will say, "I wish there wasn't a baby brother. I mean it." I know it sounds harsh, but these moments are fleeting and usually prompted by an extended conversation about him...naivete strikes again!

What usually sets her off is simply not getting her way. No, she can't have a piece of candy before dinner. No, she can't stay up passed her bedtime. No she can't watch her TV show. No, Momma is too tired to play dolls right now. She gets frustrated in 1-60 flat and once she teeters off the edge...well, sometimes it takes a while to get her back.

We've been spoiled for too long and there's nothing wrong with a little challenge with our first born. Because even as she frustrates me to no end, she, in the next 5 minutes, will turn and grab my face, lean forward and kiss me proclaiming, "You get one free kiss!" Not too shabby.