Max likes to say "two babies!" whenever he and Theo do something the same. If Theo is laying down with a toy, Max will come over, lay down and say "two babies!" If I ever have to hold both of them (which happens a lot) Max will say, "two babies!" Sometimes I use it to my advantage when I need to get Max to do something like change his diaper, take a bath or get dressed. I'll get Theo started then pause halfway through and look at Max and say, "two babies?" It usually works.
Twice this week, Max has wandered into the room where Theo was sleeping, moved the trashcan over to climb up into the bassinet to wake up to snuggle Nonny. What does he say when I walk into the room? "Two babies!"
These two - Max and Theo...'Mats and Nonny." They seriously make life so challenging for me right now. Max doesn't understand about NOT waking up Theodore when he's sleeping. He also doesn't understand to be quiet when I'm trying to put Theodore to sleep. And Theo doesn't understand how to fall asleep or stay asleep! Its exhausting. Theo wants to be held constantly and loves to nurse like every 2 hours... he'll sometimes demand second helpings and scream like he's being tortured until he gets more milk. Max loves to throw everything, and eat everything (or at least ask for everything to eat and then leave most of it uneaten, and strewn about the kitchen). Max loves to scream "STOP!!" whenever anyone touches a toy that he wants, or tries to take away something from him that he shouldn't have. Its really loud. The combination of these boys' ages and needs is so complicated and I often am brought to tears with shaky deep breaths as I juggle the difficulty of taking care of them both. (to say nothing of the stress the other children bring... a kindergartener, 2 pre-teens and a teenager!)
But sometimes there are these moments that still my soul. I am reminded that this stage won't last forever and I take a deep breath to savor the momentary sweetness. It happened today as I rocked Max before his nap. Theo was being fussy so instead of leaving him in his bouncer or carseat, I kept him in my arm as I scooped Max and his bottle of milk up in my other arm. I walked down the stairs with both my babies and whispered Max's oft-used phrase, "two babies." I sat in the rocker with Max lounging back on my left leg, his arm raised holding his bottle, his head cocked to the side resting on my shoulder. Theo was curled up in my right arm, holding his toes, sucking on a pacifier. Occasionally Theo would turn his head in the near-pitch black room to rest against my cheek, as if reassuring himself that I was still there. I sat and rocked in the quiet dark with my two babies' warm heads nestled into both sides of my neck, breathing deep, sometimes kissing a soft head or cherub cheek.
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