Bathtime

Photo actually taken some evening last week while I gave my kids a bath. We were having a heat wave (hey, yay, we're having another one now, yay! I love the heat and humidity, bring it on!), during the throes of rotovirus. The worst victim that befell its charms was my husband, by far. He's just now recovering.



This is a glamorous life. Jealousy abounds, I'm sure.

On a positive note, Cooper was invited to go on a swimming playdate with his BFF Collin today, and his super awesome swimming skills so impressed his little buddy that Collin, who was heretofore resistant to getting water in his face or hair, he actually went underwater with Cooper! I wasn't there to see it, sadly. But I was super proud to hear that Cooper had helped Collin learn to swim, just a little bit more than he did yesterday.

And then there's Griffin. Sweet baby Jesus above, I need a new guidebook for parenting Griffin. There is one rule that must never ever be forgotten. Never never never never take your eyes or ears off of him. Ever. The risks are enormous.

I keep telling myself "this is a phase, this is a phase," and praying to God that I'm right. He's stubborn, listening is not an option in his mind, and his compass guides him in the direction of doing everything The Wrong Way. If you're supposed to be sweet and gentle to the dogs, then Griffin is going to pull tails and sit on them like they're horses.

He knows what he's doing is wrong, that's the super frustrating thing. He just doesn't give a damn and would rather get in trouble than be good.

And punishment? He laughs at time-outs. He scoffs at my threats of vinegar (brought about because of his absolute refusal to give up saying his favorite word ever, "Goddamn").

I do hope to survive this child. Suddenly, Cooper's tantrums and constant crying from the age of whenever-he-started-who-can-remember-this-shit-anyway to about two months ago seems much more tolerable. And now I can look at Cooper and see that he's a completely different boy than he was a few months ago. He's older. His behavior is much better. Thank you God.

- H