Mister O

I just want to write about Owen because I haven't really done that yet on here. Owen has lately been a little upset with me, and I have also found myself floundering a bit with parenting him, so I guess those two things are affecting each other. He can be my biggest fan one moment--saying "I love you Mom! You're the greatest! You look bootiful today! I like your hair!"--and the next moment he's my biggest critic, in saying he's ready for a new mom because I'm mean, or "when is Daddy getting home? I want Daddy!" I don't take it personally, usually, because I recognize that he really can sense when I'm being an effective parent and when I've run out of ideas and am a little out of control. That's a good thing. Maybe I can just use him as my gauge from now on. Or maybe I'm off completely. Maybe my parenting is just so dang good right now that he can't stand it, and has to react! :-) Owen is so adorable in so many ways. He is very loving and huggy. This morning when he woke up I was teaching a violin lesson and he came and laid down on my lap (dang, is it lay or laid?) and fell back asleep. I had a hard time focusing on the lesson because he was so cherubic, sleeping there. When I had to wake him up, he said he was sick because of the cold, and he needed to sit by the warm air (the vent). He really does get "sick" to his stomach in the morning sometimes because he is so hungry! Breakfasts are his thing. He will eat three times as much as the twins almost every day. Dinner, on the other hand, usually sits on his plate.
Last night we had a light saber fight with our family. James, Thomas, and I got light sabers in our stockings--thank you Santa!--and we decided it was time for an all-out battle. It was interesting to see the personalities of the boys come out as the fight progressed and the teams changed numerous times. Ryrie was very agressive, very competitive, and when I "killed" him for the umpteenth time, instead of falling down "dead" he yelled "you are NOT killing me again Mom!" and stabbed me viciously again and again. William was gentle, cautious, and careful, very willing to "die" dramatically and move out of the way. He took care to watch out for Thomas. Owen was all about position. He crouched, lunged, and leaped gracefully all over the room with a snarling look on his face most of the time. He and I duked it out at one point and both lost both our hands so I finally got him in the chest with my chin and neck holding the saber. I felt that perhaps that was a physical representation of our "battles" over the past few days...Thomas was concerned for me, but loved it when I battled with him and made the "sounds" of a light saber. He did not like it when I died. James claims that I was hitting really hard--and that he has the battle wounds to show for it. I guess maybe I fit in with Ryrie's approach a little more than the others!