No, No, Hitting, and Total Aversions

Wow, what a hard thing it is to do to be in the beginning stages of a pregnancy and dealing with a TODDLER! I had heard that the toddler years - or the "terrible twos" - were nothing to laugh at, but come on!!! And add to that the fact that I have felt like a donkey kicked me in the face due to a nasty sinus infection and you have one hot mess of a Katie.

I haven't heard the word 'No' so much in the past 10 years as I have in the past few weeks in my house. I ask him for a hug first thing in the morning, I get a "NO, mommy," Dan asks him if he wants to watch t.v. with him and he gets a loud "NO, daddy." We can't get it right!

And the hitting?! Where did Noah learn that?! He thinks NOTHING of pulling his little arm back and slamming it into our faces - yes, faces - when he's mad about something. I cannot agree with Dobson's theory more: I have a "strong willed child." And he's violently strong willed.

It is so tough to figure out how to discipline him appropriately. We hate reacting to his hitting by spanking him but that is honestly the ONLY thing (coupled with a straight up crib time out) that will work. When his daddy spanks him on his bottom, it hurts his feelings so bad that he just whimpers (heartbreaking). But what else can we do?! We tell him "no hitting," we put him in time out, we spank when necessary, we pray.... what did you all do when you went through this phase? This is NOT okay at all.

It has been especially hard for me to parent lately because after recovering from an upper respiratory infection, travelling to Alabama for 2 weekends in a row, only to then develop the worst possible sinus infection - all while dealing with a different pregnancy than the one I had with Noah. There have been days that I wake up only to count how many hours till Noah's naptime and then bedtime! I feel so bad about that because my little boy has been seeing me at my weakest. But, a sweet husband who has allowed me to sleep tons and antibiotics are getting me back on my feet ASAP and just in time for the Bealls to visit for Christmas. Whoo hoo!

This baby hasn't made me downright sick yet (although I have had a few "episodes") but 'he' has given me exhaustion and aversions that I never experienced with Noah. If I go too long without eating in the early - late afternoon, I can forget it: I never catch up with the nausea. So I am constantly forcing myself to eat. And textures and consistancies are giving me fits this time around. I usually eat salad constantly and I cannot bring myself to eat salads at all. In fact, most anything I try to eat makes me nausceous. It is so foreign to me to be turned off by foods, but it is happening every single day.

The things I can't get enough of are Perrier, pickles, peanut butter, fruit and occasionally Taco Bell. And I have to nap at least once a day... which is hard to do now that my little boy is sleeping 13 hours at night straight and only napping about an hour - hour and a half. But I cannot complain: he does sleep at night allowing me to go to bed way early!

Dan's about to take off for 2 months to some training. He will leave right after the New Year. And my Term 3 course with Troy University starts the first of the year too so that will be a great way - along with Noah - to stay busy once he's gone. I will miss him terribly but anything is better than 15 months to Afghanistan. Praise God!

We have so much to be thankful for this Christmas season. Thank you for allowing me the chance to 'vent' about disciplining Noah and being sick with Baby Beall #2. We are overjoyed at the blessings that 2009 brought us; God has given us so much to be abundantly thankful for and 2010 will bring another incredible blessing in our 2nd born.

When I think about the road we were facing with Dan going away for 15 months and how he had to have immediate surgery that thus kept him from deploying, I cannot believe the way that God stepped in and answered our prayers. To think that he could be fighting a war so far away - something he hasn't been trained to do - brings me such humility because he was spared. And to think of the heartbreak that so many of our loved ones have faced this past year, it brings me to my knees with a thankful heart. God is good, all the time. Even when we don't understand His ways, we have to know that He loves us and wants only the best for us.