Full fight mode

The boys are in full fight mode. They poke, prod and annoy each other and it is mostly deliberate. I really didn't expect this until Nick was older . . . like wayyy older. To my surprise he is fully capable of engaging in mutual kicking, hair pulling, toy stealing, clothes grabbing, and food snatching. He will cry to get me on his side of things - while Lucas yells at Nick in defense of "his" things or "his" space (which is everything and everywhere). So given the scenario of - a crying innocent looking big-doe-eyes-filling-with-tears baby versus an angry, yelling bigger-and-should-know-better preschooler, who would you instinctively come down on? Right. It is hard not to be tough on Lucas because Nick instigates things a good part of the time too. I'm doing my best. But this is hard. Soon Nick will be a competent walker and things are going to really blow up then.

I might add that I am really surprised at how rough they are with each other. Nick still doesn't quite get the rules but he is catching on. For instance, we don't hit in this house but Nick took a stick while in the back yard and NAILED Lucas on the head. Lucas in turn grabbed the stick and jerked it out of Nick's hands. Nick's eyes did the welling up with tears thing and then he started wailing. Lucas saw Nick's antics and decided that it would be to his benefit to wail also. This is all day long. Or most of it. I hope that I and they survive this. I've been a single parent for 4 of the last 6 weeks. I'm not complaining. AJ loves his new job and I love that his new job got us out of the armpit of New Mexico. But I am ready to retire from single parenthood for just a little while.

Oh. On a positive note. Nick is sleeping better. I got 6 hours in a row last night! The cry it out thing is just not for Nick - as you know. And I was relieved to read that despite what my pediatrician says, Dr. Ferber (the cry-it-out proponent) said himself in a recent interview that it isn't for every baby. We sit next to the crib while he lays there trying to put himself to sleep. If he starts to cry and can't calm down (which Nick has a hard time doing) we pat him a couple of times to reassure him. Once he stops crying again we stop touching him and wait for him to go to sleep. This cycle repeats until he is asleep and then we do this at night when he wakes up. BUT. While it sounds like a lot of time we are seeing progress. He is sleeping longer and is now able to resettle himself without fully waking up and crying for us to come help. I see hope people. I can't keep being the human pacifier all night long. It kills my back, shoulders and boobs. Last night he ate ONE TIME. I know he shouldn't eat at all at night but compared to the constant pacifying this is an improvement.