There are Trials and Tribulations

Maybe the closest I have come previously to sharing the not-so-joyful moments of parenting was a post I did about fastening one’s seat belt almost two years ago. Well, I guess there was that one about being up late at night, Triple 3s, and then I did write about the hassle of teeth. But, in general I may have left you with the impression that life around here is beautiful smiles and smooth sailing. So let me take a moment to tell you it ain’t - and it seems especially lately.We think Lola may be getting her last(?) few teeth because all of the signs of previous teething episodes (again see “Hassle”) are there but lately she has been practically inconsolable. She has cried and wanted to be held more in the last four days than the last four months.She asks for bubbles in her bath and when it’s all ready she insists “no bubbles!” And once I spray them all away, she asks for “more bubbles.” She will ask for cold water and when I hand her a cup she cries and says “noooo.” When I put the cup back on the counter she really starts to cry and says “water.” It’s like that for almost every little thing these days.

Another recent development has been the realization of one of my biggest fears as a parent of two. Lately, when one of them gets upset and starts to fuss, it sets the other one off as well. I had been pleasantly surprised by Lola’s ability to not be phased by Oliver’s high-pitched scream - especially in the car - down 17 miles of freeway - but she is starting to show signs of not being able to tune it out. So it’s becoming a more common occurrence to have one fire up the other and then it’s only a matter of minutes before a total household meltdown. Unfortunately, I am not emotionally or intellectually equipped to prevent the ship from sinking in that short amount of time and Julie is usually the one who comes to the rescue (of all of us).Let’s hope this all passes quickly. I am heading up to Tahoe for a week- long history conference next week. I will keep ya posted.By the way, check out Ollie’s newest straight-to-home-video movie release here.