the longest saturday

Michelle had quite a long week with Caleb, who was sick with a cold the whole time. he would fuss and whine pretty much all day, and we'd give him the benefit of the doubt due to being sick. so we'd sometimes let the whining work, instead of the usual "no whining" rule we have. so after all that plus the usual lack of sleep due to feeding the tiny baby, she was quite happy to have me home for the weekend. Caleb usually does better when I'm around, as he's grown more attached since Alice arrived. so we were hoping for a weekend of everyone feeling better, as things seemed to improve on Friday.

but Saturday was the longest Saturday ever. it doesnt really do it justice to say that he whined all day. it was more like he threw a temper tantrum at every and any opportunity. not quite continuous crying, but close. there comes a point when you just let him cry it out, but it does start to wear you down. at one point I couldnt pick him up b/c I was making lunch, and he got in such a state that he was kind of twitching his head when he'd inhale from his cries. this freaked us all out a little, but thankfully a brief stroll around the back yard settled him down.

thankfully he's usually not a temper-tantrum kinda guy, so we're not quite used to it. more often than not, if he's upset about not getting something, we just have to ask him where one of his stuffed animals is, and he'll happily go find it for us (I'm actually surprised this trick works as often as it does). but we survived, and a couple beers and some pizza helped wash it away.

but now we're dealing with the aftermath a bit. thankfully he's feeling much better. but it seems he's learned that whining can get him what he wants. this morning when I was leaving he gave me the fakest cry I've heard from him. I couldnt help but laugh as I told him that whining doesnt work any more. he seems to be catching on again, as his little tantrums are much shorter now, and now and then I think I see a light bulb go off when we (once again) explain that he's not allowed to whine, but needs to ask nicely for things he wants. after the non-stop whinefest, we're thankful to have him more back to normal.

but is this just a preview of what is to come as he approaches the age of 2? and who knows how Alice will be with these things. we're realizing that we need to think and pray about these things more, and maybe pick up a few tips from the woodshed lady (who apparently changed the name of her site, but the "godly tomato lady" just doesnt sound as cool) and re-read Shepherding soon.

oh and lest I forget, then there was Sunday. he wasnt well enough to go to church, so I let mama go without the kids, and we watched "praise baby" during church time (b/c who doesnt want to watch goldfish and toys and kids playing ball while listening to "shine, Jesus shine"? -- it's not as bad as that sounds, but sometimes it's a little absurd. I take comfort that at least he's learning some good songs). and everyone had a GREAT nap in the afternoon (while I had a mental nap - watching the steelers game a bit). and mama recounted some of the sermon for me...something about giving our battles to God, who has won them all in Jesus already. good thing He's really in control around here, or we just might go crazy.

and finally, there are some more pictures here.