Rhett Review

Poor Daddy had the flu this past weekend. I banned him to the spare bedroom and told him not to come out until his fevers were gone……that was Sunday. Last Friday, I sanitized everything for fear of getting the flu myself. So far, Rhett & I are in the clear and Eric is back to his prime and working.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how Rhett’s world is going to change by this summer. I’ve been taking it easy and trying to spend at much spare time with him as I can. I feel in only a few short months, my life will be consumed with a new baby. Not that I will intentionally push Rhett aside, but baby’s just demand a lot more time and energy than he is going to understand. Especially when I’m breastfeeding, I won’t be able to run to his beckon call. I don’t dare want him to feel ignored, or like a second-class citizen in our household. I pray daily that he will adjust well as Big Brother, and easily accepts that he will not be the only “King of the House”.

Our triumphs: Our life is so wonderful and full of blessings. Every evening we eat dinner together as a family, then Rhett takes his bath and plays with all of his toys (10+ in the tub at one time--seriously…….). He has grasped that the toys can only be the ones without the batteries ;) He doesn’t like bubbles now because “those are for girls”. We brush our teeth together, which he is finally getting better at. We read books, and I’ve compromised to reading usually only 3 per night. If he had the choice, I’d have to read his entire book shelf. On special occasions, he gets to watch movies, but I try not to make that a nightly ordeal. Of course, he likes to watch Disney movies, but also animal documentaries. I tell him about each one and we make animal sounds. It’s quite amusing.

Every night, we say our prayers together. He lists everyone and everything; from his Grandma & Grandpa, to his dog “Briggs”, teachers, friends, and all the in-between. It seriously touches my heart and soul to hear someone so young, innocent, and sweet say his prayers nightly. Then occasionally, he wants me to sing him a song. I’ll ask him “like what?” and he’ll say “ABC’s”, “Twinkle Little Star” “Jesus Loves Me”, or “Dragon Tails (‘Godspeed’ by Dixie Chicks)”. I surely don’t have the best voice in the world, but it works for him. I sing and his little fingers comb through my hair so softly until he dozes off.

I never realized how much fun a 3-year-old could be, either. Rhett is so funny, simply put--he’s a hoot. His personality is little bit of each parent—silly, funny, ornery, independent. He even has some of my facial expressions. He has the cutest sayings ever. I hear it through his world, and I’ve decided to make a list of all these cute quotes to remind him of later. One time, he got into my stamps in our office thinking each one was a sticker. Rightfully so, they do have a sticky back, but there not for play. I wasn’t too happy at first since stamps add up in money, but it’s humorous now that I think of it.

Our trials: I know I’m a physician and that the following statement is against the rules, but I’m a big time snuggler. I completely love cuddling up and being close with him. I’ve loved it since his birth. And occasionally, we co-sleep……….yes, I said it! We are trying to teach him that big brothers/big boys sleep in their own beds, and he is “getting it”. Yet, my temptations fail me sometimes, especially on weekends, and I’ll let him sleep in our bed. Sure, as his parents we might pay for it in the future. However, to me it’s worth it since he won’t be little for long and is already showing hints of steering away from Mommy’s kisses :(

He also knows how to push his bounders. As his parents in the beginning, Eric and I struggled with disciplining him. It’s easier now since he knows his limits, but it was really hard when he was so little and cute! The thought of punishing him broke our hearts when we saw him frown. We both felt guilty spanking him or putting him in time out. Yet, God gives me guidance through this phase of his life. I heard a sermon at church about a year ago, when I felt down trodden and at my wits-end on how to raise a “good boy”. We were going through the terrible-two’s and he just exhausted me. I would get stressed out and frustrated, but I didn’t want to take that out on him while he was learning the ways of the world and about life. I realized that if I don’t get to him early then there will be hell to pay in the future. God wants us to discipline our children, and of course, no parent enjoys it, but I want to raise good, well-mannered, godly children. Consistency is the key and it’s paying off. Plus, a little candy bribery never hurt anyone--haha.

The following versus’ really helped me:

Proverbs - Chapter 12:1
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.

Proverbs - Chapter 15:32
He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.

Hebrews - Chapter 12:7-11
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

So I know this one was long, but overall, I absolutely love being his mommy, and can’t wait to add Beau to the mix!