Loving thorugh the rough spots

Tonight something amazing happened. Well it didn't just come about tonight, but it seemed to click. I need to back up a bit though because I have been a really bad blogger and one busy mama. This past weekend was pretty hectic. On Saturday John did a booth at the Moss Rock Festival for our business "The Backyard Pantry." I took the boys, and we had some very fun moments. Most of the time though was spent with me being pulled in two very different directions. They rarely wanted to do the same thing at the same time, so I had to do a lot of refereeing and shouting at one of them to come back. Typical Emerson would take off and run though the crowds to participate in his favorite festival game, people bowling. But, dragging Isaac along to chase Emerson is flat out not an option, unless I want to look like that crazy mom that was caught on tape dragging her child through a department store.

Unfortunately I made a poor choice. We stayed too long and I did not feed Isaac often enough. Both are a recipe for disaster. He still deals with these needs not being met in the same way an infant would. And like the parent of an infant I felt lost once the mood went sour. Unfortunately he is 3.5 and it is much harder to manage and/or shift the melt down once it starts. In the end it all worked out but it taught me a lot. Naps and food are non-negotiable for Isaac. He looses all faith in us as parents if he does not get food on a regular schedule. If he is over tired he reverts.

That night John and I were actually able to have a long talk after the boys went to bed about how both the boys are doing. We acknowledged how far they have come as brothers and how incredibly far Isaac has come in the 4 months we have known him. We have worked with him to stop some huge behavior issues, he is a health weight, he has communication skills, his comprehension is growing by leaps and bounds. We also acknowledged that he is starting to get that we are his parents, and what that concept even is.

His biggest issue right now is his need to test us constantly. He will regularly do manipulative things just to see how we will react. The other day I caught him sitting on Emerson while crying as if he was the one getting tortured. I silently watched from the hall and when they looked up and saw me they both started laughing hysterically. It taught me a lot.

On Sunday John had a booth set up at the Jewish Food Festival/Green Living Fair. This was a much more manageable event for the boys. Lots of food was available, the area was fenced, there was a bouncy castle, and we left before nap time. Lots of fun was had.

Now to the big event for today. Tonight Isaac was asleep when I got home, and he was still asleep when dinner was ready. John decided to wake him up for dinner to avoid the whole hunger thing latter. Well unfortunately Isaac suffers from night terrors, and waking him up can often put him in a very awkward state of mind. He became hysterical and there was no good way to get him out of it. Finally, John just held him while he cried and then I came in to sit with him, while he continued to cry. Emerson then had to come in, and when he did he put his hand on Isaac's shoulder and said, "It's Ok Isaac, I have bad dreams too." All of the sudden he snapped out of it and joined us for dinner. Mind you he cried hard and hysterical for 20 min, and 10 sec. latter he skipped to dinner like nothing had happened.

What I found to be beautiful about all of this is it really seemed like at that moment Isaac understood what a family was and that we are really here for him. It sure felt good.