Overheard conversations

Here's two little conversations I heard (one I got involved in to clarify)

One - the girls were talking about playing with a little friend and one says to the other that he's coming to play. The other says - no not the pretend S. the real S.! I didn't realize they were already to the age of distiguishing or even making pretend versions of their real friends. These changes seem to sneak up on me.

Two - I heard A. say "I'm Jesus" - I was interested in hearing what brought on this sort of play. So I asked her why she was Jesus. She said she was helping the baby animals find their mamas. I asked her if that's what Jesus does - she says yes, because He loves them. It really makes me happy to know that love and rescue is their association to Jesus.



Also, today we had our WIC recertification (just for the big girls - they can't seem to get all my kids on the same schedule so I have to go through the torture twice as often - boo). They remembered the last one and knew that finger pricks happen (to check for iron). I guess they don't have to check every time because this time A. didn't have to get pricked - but since B had had low iron last time, she had to get checked. So they tell my child who gets irrationally upset about minor things that she has to be pricked - and then she's gone. There is no calming her. You can't promise her a bandaid as a reward because she associates bandaids with the pain of the whole thing. Neither of my children will let me put bandaids on them. We had screaming and kicking and thrashing....it wasn't pretty. All this after they make us sit in the waiting room for an hour and a half. I was almost in tears because several families that came in after us got to go first. And the patience ran out after about a half an hour - both theirs and mine. The woman with five children under age five was doing so much better than I was....I felt like the worst mother in the world.

The only bribe I had for the girls to keep them sort of subdued during the whole process was a trip to the park. I really didn't feel up for it - but the poor kids had to sit still for 2 and a half hours. Not to mention that we were in an office that has ZERO toys or books. I had them each bring a toy, and I brought some snacks, but nothing can keep a 3 year old sitting for that long. We also had to go to the library because I had an overdue video that would not renew because someone else had requested it. All that warranted a Chick fil A lunch - so that's how I spent the remainder of my b-day cash. Sweet tea and buffalo strips...mmmmmmmmm all better.

I really can't believe how EVERY SINGLE DAY is a battle. Up until recently there were good days and bad days - normal. But the last few weeks there has been no let up. No days that I say at the end, "that was, overall, a successful day." But surely it will get better, right? Nothing lasts forever - in the back of my mind I'm sad about this - I know as they grow they are also growing away...I just wish I could figure out how to stay sane and enjoy this stage.