Garrett's terrible two-ness has gone off the charts recently, coinciding with the arrival of Bodie. He's always had a little nonconformist attitude, a born maverick. Now he's the epitome of rebellion. Tantrums have become the norm now when things don't work out for him. Its obvious that he's going to have a hard time adjusting to not being the baby anymore. Its hard to see him go through this process, and I'm sure its really hard on him. Being two is an age full of emotional expansion anyway. He was just getting to that point where he is figuring out his own personality: a zany little jester. He loves to be the center of attention and to make people laugh. Bodie has stolen a little slice of that limelight, and its causing Garrett to become an emotional basket case. One minute we're having fun playing "fire truck rescue", the next minute he's stomping around screaming for mama to play too, after he notices she's tending to Bodie.

One good thing is that I don't think he actually resents Bodie or blames him for the shift in family dynamics. He is just as sweet as can be with the baby. When Bodie cries, Garrett pats his head and tries to put the pacifier in for him. Both of his big brothers are really great with Bodie in that sense.

However, Garrett is constantly teetering on the edge of a tantrum nowadays. Even when were alone together, like last night at the store. I was on a mission, as usual. I had a short list and intended to be in and out of there like a Navy Seal, but my cart rider had other intentions. Every time I turned left, he wanted to go right. He had to go down every aisle in the store!  "This way, daddy! THIS WAY!!" He'd point in the opposite direction every time. If I refused to obey, the kid would howl like a werewolf at a full moon. No kidding - it makes the hair on your neck stand up. I would then obediently turn the cart for him. It's like Dr. Phil says, "You need to pick your battles carefully, but win the battles you pick." That's the philosophy I subscribe to. I don't care if people at the store see me being directed around by a half pint of hot sauce, at least I completed the mission! To win that battle, I would have had to abandon the cart and whisk him out of there. 

On the way home, I can't even listen to my talk show on the radio. If he doesn't get the music he likes, its pure tantrum all the way home. "Punk rock music, daddy! Punk rock music right now!" he bawls. Its actually really cute, the way he says "punk wock, wight now!". His taste in music is right on par with his attitude at the moment. Forceful and obnoxious. Gavin likes all genres of music, but Garrett is stuck on one mode for now. So if he's in the car, he gets his way. That's just another battle not worth fighting.

Probably the funniest example of the conflict going on in Garrett's head is at supper time. We sit down and he looks at the food in front of him.
I ask "Are you hungry?"
He quickly replies "NO! I want to eat!"
Okay. "How about some green beans?" I say.
"No green beans. Just Jungle Rapids!" he retorts. Jungle Rapids is the local water park, which is closed for the season. It's his normal outlandish request which he knows I won't fulfill, leading him more quickly into tantrumville.
"Alright. I'll eat the beans then." I say as I poke a bean with my fork.
"No! It's mine!" he yowls as he pokes it with his own fork. He usually begins to eat after that. It happens that way almost every night. I don't know if reverse psychology is a good thing to use with toddlers, but it gets him to eat his supper.

Besides choosing the battles, the only other helpful bit of advice we've found is to just let his tantrums happen, and recognize that its a natural part of being a toddler. Be there for him, hold him if he wants to be held (usually not) and make sure he doesn't hurt himself. That's all you can do. After the tantrum, he's actually in a great mood and very amiable. It kind of goes along with the "How to Share" blog I wrote. Just let him get all that frustration out!

I think this stage will pass. In fact, someday I'll miss this, I bet. These kids grow too fast. I wish every year would last more like five.

What a week we have had! Baby Bodie has finally arrived! Sara started going into labor the day of the big Surfers Healing camp. She woke me up at about a quarter to  3 and announced that we'd be having the baby that day. Well, that was just the start of a very long labor. Bodie wasn't born until 30 hours later! The labor was progressing so slowly, I didn't think it would ever happen. Sara felt well enough to go to the beach, she wouldn't miss Gavin surfing for the world! It was a perfect day. Surreal, actually. We got to hang out with Izzy Paschowitz, the founder of the camp. He suggested we name the child after him. The weather was perfect. We put up a shade tent, but Sara managed to get a sunburn anyway. Gavin surfed like an old pro, I was worried that he would be nervous about it this year. That'll have to be the subject of another blog.

We finally went into the hospital as the contractions became more frequent that evening. To abbreviate a long story, that was a really rough night for Sara. Her parents came to the hospital at about 1:30 a.m. and her sister Mollie stayed home with the boys. We went through 3 shifts of nurses, each one commenting about Sara's sunburn and the virtues of sunscreen. The baby would not budge! He just would not come out. It was like he had been in the womb for so long (he was about 2 weeks overdue) he just decided to stay there. When he finally made his entrance to this world at 9:28 that morning, he weighed in at a hefty 10 lbs 14 oz! No wonder he was stuck! He was ten pounds of potatoes in a five pound sack! Somehow, Sara survived. I don't know how she did it.

What a joyous feeling though, right? I mean, there's nothing that can compare to seeing your child for the first time and hearing that little voice cry out. And the relief that comes with the joy is just as intense. That huge burden of worry is released a few minutes after the baby is born, and the doctors and nurses check him all over. So much can happen in the delivery room, its just a great relief when it's all finally over and everybody is okay.

Gavin was so excited to meet his new brother. Garrett was just a little bit curious about him, but really couldn't grasp the magnitude of what that little bundle in the blankets would mean for his life. Garrett is warming up to him now. For Gavin, though, it was love at first sight. He was so fired up about Baby Bodie finally coming out of Mama's tummy. When Mollie brought him to the hospital to meet Bodie, he just stood and stared at him, saying "It's Bodie!" It brought tears to my eyes, it was so sweet. The funniest thing was when I said "Gavin, do you like your new baby brother?" Gavin spun around and looked all over the room wildly and said "Where's Garrett?!" He thought we had traded in Garrett for Bodie, I guess! That was so cute. I could see the panic in his face - he wasn't willing to give up his little brother. I got the whole thing on video, I'll have to try to post it here.

Baby Bodie is the best baby yet. He is so quiet and sweet and calm. He even cries quietly! So far, he's just a real easygoing little dude. We couldn't ask for an easier time with him. Of course, our biggest problem now is deciding  which "Snugfit" to put on him for his birth announcement photo shoot! My favorite idea is "Arrr... Surrender Ye Booby".  When I mentioned it to Sara (regarding Bodie's birth announcement) she just raised an eyebrow. I'll just keep my ideas out of it, she's the graphic artist.

Our cat, Laya, hasn't yet become completely comfortable with the boys.  Four years ago when we brought Gavin home from the hospital, her life changed in every respect. Her peaceful, lazy existence made a giant shift. I remember the look on her face the first time she approached our new baby and gave him a couple sniffs - it was pure disdain. She hid under the bed for awhile, as if the baby would throw off his swaddling blanket and get her. It took awhile, but when Gavin grew and became mobile he did go after her quite a bit.

I remember that we were worried Laya might hate us and run away when we brought a baby into our family. She was definitely perturbed, but we made sure she got plenty of love too. She still grovels for attention when the boys aren't around, meowing and purring as if to say "I'm still the baby, right?" Before we had kids she was the pampered little baby of the house. After all, she owns us, we don't own her. It is our privilege to feed her and clean her royal litter box.

I believe she must have been abused by kids when she was a kitten. We found her at the Petsmart cat adoption center. She had been picked up as a stray by the humane society. When we first saw her, she was in her own little cage, lying on her back, pleading with us to let her out. She was a little diamond in the rough, a very rare orange female! We didn't even notice until we got her home that she's got a kink in her tail that may have been caused by abuse. Were not sure why she has such a dislike for kids, but I can assume its because she's had some bad times with them. Because of this we are extra sure the boys never get rough with her.

Now, I think she realizes that these kids aren't going to injure her, and she can let her guard down a little bit. Every now and then they may "aggressively pet" her, and she simply gives them a flurry of swats with the front paw. They might even get a little nibble on the hand if they don't get the point right away. While we actively keep watch over how careful the boys are not to cause Laya any harm, we've given her the right to self defense by any means. She's basically a 9 pound orange cottonball. Her clawless front paws are about as lethal as a feather duster.

She actually loves it when they're out playing in the back yard. She stalks them from the sidelines, like a lion in the African savanna. When they unwittingly come into range, she attacks swiftly and forcefully, swatting feet and nipping at their heels. The kids love it when she ambushes them like that! She then disappears under the juniper, leaving the boys running in circles, laughing and screaming. It's like a game of cat and mouse, and the mice are two wild eyed toddlers. She acts just like a kitten again. She's happy to have some siblings to romp around with!

All in all, life hasn't been so bad for the cat. I'm sure she didn't think she could, but she's weathering the storm of little boys that has moved in. She's adjusting just fine. Having her in our family has been a blessing. She provides the boys with some exciting back yard chases and lessons in respect for animals. She has been pretty tolerant so far. Hopefully the third boy won't cause her too much more anxiety!