Hey friends!
It’s been a hot minute since I’ve posted…probably not too surprising if any of you know what it’s like chasing a toddler around with an infant stuck to your boob.
Last time we chatted about my must-haves for pregnancy, labor & delivery, and a fresh baby. Well, here we are.
But let’s back up. Jackson was born in June, and shares a birthday with my best friend’s oldest son! He was 10lb, 12oz! It was immediately obvious why everyone said there was so much more baby this time around. He was over a pound heavier than his big brother!
As was expected, we’ve had some adjusting to do. Getting James settled into sleeping somewhere other than right next to me, getting Daddy used to hearing him in the night and helping out, and juggling a nursing newborn with a toddler that is all go and zero chill. It’s been a ride. The surprise factor, and one of the cutest but also hardest things to deal with, has been that James loves being a big brother. So much so that he jumps up and runs to Jackson when he starts fussing, and is convinced that he should be the one to pick him up and help. Unfortunately, Jackson is just a little too chunky for that to be a successful endeavor, so we have some…moments.
Several weeks ago, I asked one of my oily groups for suggestions on how to help my toddler with his mega feelings. We were reaching the point where he would follow me around the house screaming because he didn’t get his way, and then couldn’t re-regulate once he was upset. He would melt down when I picked up Jackson and didn’t promptly hand him over to be held by the toddler. It was beyond unbearable for both of us, and all the screaming meant that Jackson wasn’t getting the rest that he needed. Someone suggested EndoFlex, and thankfully I had some on hand.
I’m not sure I noticed it right away, because I was so weary of the constant battle. But a couple days later, I realized that things were less combative. I could correct him, or take something away that he wasn’t supposed to have, and it didn’t turn into a 20min meltdown. Picking up his brother from the swing was still frustrating for him at times, because I couldn’t always go sit down with James and let him hold Jackson, but he could much more easily switch gears and go play. I cannot even tell you the relief I felt.
Then we ran out. A little over a week ago, I made the stressful discovery that my bottle was empty. Things gradually (but oh-so-steadily) went downhill after that. Most of this week, we’ve been back to him throwing fits over the smallest things, and not being able to recover after getting upset about something. To say it’s been a rough week would be a gross understatement of the facts. I was counting down the hours until I could hope for my September subscription order to order, because I had two bottles of EndoFlex coming!!! Thankfully, it arrived a day early, and yesterday afternoon and evening were once again filled with peace.
Now, don’t get me wrong. This boy is not yet 2yrs old. He throws fits when he doesn’t get his way. He pushes boundaries like it’s his JOB. But with the right tools, he can recover!! Today has been tough - adding in such a powerful support for emotions can make for a rough jump back into things. Even so, I can tell we’re on the right road, because even though we’ve had a couple of random, utter meltdowns, once we get through them, he’s good to go again. We aren’t having the constantly inconsolable toddler that I’ve been living with all week.
Now that we’re getting back to livable conditions, it’s time to focus on planning James’ second birthday party!!!
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