Bode has been a member of our family for more than a month now. While he definitely has his moments, overall he’s a sweet little guy. Of course, it’s still early and I am cognizant that things could turn the corner. I am just hoping that corner won’t occur for, say, another 18 years. And then he can go turn someone else’s corner.
By this time with Haddie, I was about ready to enter a mental institution. I lived off of three hours of sleep for months. Bode, on the other hand, only wakes up a couple of times and even slept seven hours straight the other night. SEVEN FREAKING HOURS. Do you know how long it took for Haddie to sleep that long? I think every family needs to have one Haddie so they can realize how FREAKING MIRACULOUS it is when a kid actually sleeps. I mean, if I had only easy babies, I might be disillusioned enough to think I had this parenting thing figured out. But I know better.
The Hurricane
I can’t stand when people tell me the reason why Haddie was so colicky is because I was a first-time mom and they then attribute Bode’s easy-going nature with the fact that I’m more relaxed now. Guess what: that’s a load of crock. For one, I will never be anything less than an unrelaxed-anal-retentive-type-A mom. So there! And two, from the moment those kids left the womb, they were just different. We couldn’t calm The Hurricane and we couldn’t ever wake The Slug. Different. Just different.
One area they are the same is their need to be constantly held. For Hadley, it wasn’t because she particularly liked us but because heaven forbid she should miss out on anything that was going on. And where else could we have a front-row seat of her marathon tantrums about the injustices of this harsh, evil world?
The Slug
Bode, welp, he’s a lover/snuggler not a fighter. And he won’t let you forget about it the moment you dare to set him down when his temper is unleashed. I just hope the kid manages to cut the cord sometime before he gets married because there’s nothing uglier than a mama’s boy. Especially one who’s still obsessed with her mammaries. I watch Desperate Housewives so I know how that is.
The Sibling Revelry
Many have asked how The Hurricane is doing since her brother’s arrival and overall, she’s great. She genuinely likes the little guy and is extremely helpful. She hasn’t exhibited much jealousy, either. Until last Friday. Until he posed a threat to her most prized possession: Grandma.
Y’see, she spent the day with Jamie’s mom. Her Grandma. That night when Linda dropped her off, she made the grave error of picking up Bode. I won’t get into the sordid details but there was drama i.e. “HOW COULD YOU FORSAKE ME?” There was manipulation i.e. “Grandma, Haddie poopy. Change now!” And there was desperation i.e. “Grandma, Mommy needs Bode.”
Yeah, right. Heaven forbid the day when he actually starts doing more than sleeping, fussing and pooping. Though if he stays true to his gender, that day may never come….
I'm a Canadian-born mom of two, former Denver Post columnist, family travel writer, editor of MileHighMamas.com and 9News contributor. Expert on all things Utah, Denver, family and travel. Lover of laughter and life. Happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin. 