Remember How I Said I Was Afraid the Kids Would Drive Me Nuts?

Surprise! They are driving me nuts. Thankfully, we have all fully adjusted to the time change, so at least we have that going for us. Lev is mostly cute and sweet, but he is just getting to that age where he really voices his opinion... by throwing himself down on the floor and screaming. So that's fun. And he is super clingy lately, probably for good reason, but still. I vacuumed the entire apartment yesterday with him on my hip and Finn "helping" and now my back is full of knots.

Finn, on the other hand, although full of personality and rather hilarious, is rarely cute or sweet. I'm not sure if it is the "threenager" stage, his red hair, something in his diet, or just all of the changes, but we spend most of our days either trying to get him to eat, sleep, or be nice to his brother. I can't figure out what goes through his head that makes him think it is Ok to push Lev over or grab him around the neck and pull him backwards, but we don't dare leave them alone together. We can't seem to find the right reward or punishment that enforces good behavior; yelling is the only thing that will stop him in his tracks, but that is far from an ideal solution.

There must be a better way! The most frustrating part is that we know he both ate and slept all by himself at daycare every day, and I'm pretty sure he was nice to Lev as well. So we know he can do it, but HOW do we establish those same habits when mom and dad are around? And please don't tell me "if he is hungry enough, he'll eat" because we have tried that before and he didn't gain weight for 6 months. Anyway, I'm not really looking for advice; we have tried everything, and I think all we can do is be consistent and wait it out. I worry that the poor kid has a really hard life ahead of him if he continues to be so obstinate and defiant, I just wish I knew how to help him.

Matt doesn't have the nerves to handle both boys for any amount of time; I count myself lucky when I have the privilege of using the bathroom in peace. I have had some success convincing Matt to take Finn outside one-on-one on occasion and it is amazing how vacation-like it is to have just one ragamuffin

running around for a few minutes! It is interesting, shortly after we arrived I felt like Lev had already changed so much. And then I had the realization he probably hadn't really changed, but we were finally getting to know him! Obviously his personality is developing more and more everyday, but we never had the chance to spend much time with him; weekday evenings at home he would go to bed a couple hours after getting home and weekends were always consumed by chores, errands, and tending to Finn's very vocal needs. For some reason Lev still adores his big bro, despite the repeated abuse, and loves to try to sneak into his room and wake him when he is finally napping. So, I am doing my best to enjoy our time together as a family and we will be making an effort to spend more time outside or in the bathtub, where everyone is usually happier.