Confession 101: my child is strong willed.

I have to admit the truth- I have a spirited or strong willed child that quite frankly tests me on a near daily basis. It's best we figured this out early. I feel empowered as I learn more about these more difficult children and how to handle them. It's helpful to know that I am not alone, especially when Elijah's tantrums leave me feeling embarrassed, incompetent, and exasperated.
Now I'm reading message boards and "the strong-willed child" by Dr. James Dobson for ideas on setting limits and ensuring I win the battles. It's hard to be patient and calm when you're 36 weeks pregnant, hormonal, and tired. But who said parenting was going to be easy? According to Dr. Dobson, most families have at least one of these strong-willed children. I am hoping this means that baby #2 will be more easy- going. This also makes me envious of my mother, who had 2 compliant children. Although, as I told her tonight, she had a "strong-willed" husband - so perhaps God just didn't give her more than she could handle ;). Please don't get me wrong, my son is loving and caring, but he is also ready to fight to the finish for his way. Who knows, maybe he will be a great leader one day. Now that I understand the child I have , I can work towards breaking his will but not his spirit.

9 months...

It has been about 9 months since my last post and I will catch you up on why. I am pregnant and due in about 5.5 weeks. This pregnancy, much like the last, has been a series of ups and downs trying to stay healthy. Hyperemesis is real but to most people all they can think is "morning sickness." Sorry folks, hyperemesis (full name hyperemesis gravidarum) is the monstrous cousin of morning sickness. If it were merely morning sickness then I wouldn't have multiple trips to the hospital for dehydration and crackers might actually have helped. So let's take a look at this condition that kept me out of the loop for a bit. The reason why not many people 'get it' when it comes to hyperemesis is because only 1-2% of pregnant women actually experience it. Even the nurses don't always take you seriously and you still get the whole "have you tried crackers, lemonade, ginger, etc." comments. It gets old. It is an illness that makes you feel crazy, depressed, and honestly puts a strain on your family.

So why the sam hill did I get pregnant a second time? Well, for one, I was lead to believe that every pregnancy is different. Two: Elijah needed a sibling. And Three: it was in God's plan for our lives. #3 is most important. Is there another child in our future? I don't know. I am not saying yes or no. My husband is saying an affirmative "NO" and since it takes two to tango...well you get the idea. I do know that there is a plus side to all this madness- it's over in about 5 weeks and I will have a baby out of it. There's my joy and I imagine I will find the 'glow' that everyone talks about in him. I am having a baby boy and what a blessing he will be.

I have been quiet on the blogging front for a long time - I saved any comments, photos, and joyful times for a quick upload to facebook and then I proceeded to forget about my blog. No matter. I'm back again.