Preparing Ben For Baby

I have to admit it. I am very, very nervous about Ben and the new baby.Ben is 100% a mama’s boy. He is clingy and not very independent (sorry, Ben, but it’s true). He wants me in the room with him at all times. Obviously, I have to leave the room sometimes, and while some days he’s just fine with that, other days as soon as I step out of his eyesight he starts screaming. He wants my attention on him all the time — when he’s playing independently without me, he’ll even look back at me …

Keep Your Hands Off My Son (Part 2)

If you missed the first part, you can read it here.

My breaking point was the other night, while in MD for Thanksgiving weekend, when everyone was downstairs, either watching the game or playing with Isaac and his mountain of toys. Greg was really into the game, and had already gotten snippy with the noise coming from the play area. Suddenly Isaac ran over to him to try and hug him, my brother impatiently pushed my son away, causing him to fall, and I. SAW. RED!  Of course out came Mama Bear, claws and all. There was some yelling and inappropriate language involved from …

Keep Your Hands Off My Son (Part 1)

I have a valid issue here that has been brewing for some time now, and I’d like to share it and see what you guys have to say.  Kind of a personal issue, but maybe airing it out on a blog might help!  I hope you guys don’t mind the usual deviation from my lighter more fun-loving subjects (:

My youngest brother, of the gross bathroom habit fame, has always been a bit standoffish with Isaac, ever since he as born. No idea why, but that is just how it has always been, and I was hoping that once Greg got used to his nephew he would warm up to him more. I assumed the problem was the constant crying …

The Beginnings of Sibling Conflict

“I don’t want Saioa to bother me right now”

“No, you can’t have this!”

“Saioa wants my ____ ( fill in the blank: crayon, snack, stuffed animal….)

These are statements I hear often from Serophina. Saioa is old enough now to know how to get a rise out of her sister and she exercises her right to do that frequently. Serophina, being the natural drama queen that she is, almost always provides a big reaction to whatever her sister has done….. and Saioa loves it.

Take for example, the art of pulling your sisters hair. For an outsider, when they see a one year old pulling …

What’s Yours is Mine

As Maeve begins to move around more, she also finds her way to Michael’s toys. For the most part, he does a good job of sharing with her, but some instances present a problem because he simply does not want her to play with certain toys.

I don’t mind him taking a toy from Maeve as long as he gives her something else to play with in return. Because she’s only eight months old, it usually doesn’t matter what she’s holding, as long as it’s something.

Lately, Michael has paid Maeve’s toys more attention.  To be more specific, the items fall under the “baby gear” category.  Here’s what’s been tickling Michael’s fancy:

High chair. …

How many “aunts” do you have?

“How many ‘aunts’ do you have?”  That’s the question I ask Charlie when he talks about his extended family and his parents’ close friends. Everyone seems to be an aunt or uncle and I can’t keep straight how Charlie is related to them … or not.

I grew up calling my dad’s good friend Uncle Leonard, although he’s not a relative of mine.  His mother and my grandmother are best friends, but that hardly makes him my uncle.  In Charlie’s family, everyone who’s not a first-cousin is deemed an aunt or uncle.  It’s slightly confusing for me, an in-law who’s fairly new on the …