The Third Trimester Meets the Terrible Twos

Many people would say that the optimal time to have another child is some where between your last child being two and three years old. Prior to getting pregnant, I certainly would have agreed with that idea, and to be honest I still do, but with a little more understanding of what exactly that entails. What I did not realize was that the reaching of my third trimester would coincide with the period of Noah's life which is commonly referred to as the "Terrible Twos". Now I am not sure that I would call them "terrible", but "crazy" would certainly do the trick. There are so many changes that occur in between your child turning two and your child turning three. There is the movement from the crib to the big-boy bed and let's not forget the dreaded potty training, but what has proven to be the most difficult of all is that Noah has seemed to recognize instinctually that there are changes a foot and has decided to exercise the new liberties that being a two year old apparently affords, namely exercising his own mind. For example, right now he is screaming at the top of his lungs in his room because he does not want to take a nap, something that has occurred three days in a row now, yet he will be tired and grouchy if I get him up. (Lord, please don't let him be moving away from naps..not yet). This time in his life is also characterized by these now infamous words, "I do it!" I can not just put him into the car seat, he says "I do it" and proceeds to climb into the car himself. Does he actually get into his seat? Not exactly. He decides to climb all over the car first. If I try to grab him and put him into the seat, he immediately thows his arms up to wiggle out of my grasp. By the way this is true for any situation in which I physically try to guide him to do something; i.e leading him through the rotations in gymnastics, running away from me at the park and let's not forget my personal favorite; refusing to get into the cart at a grocery store. Noah now knows how to open the locks in the house so I have to be constantly aware that he hasn't run outside to chase down some "big truck" he has heard go rumbling by. Tantrums have become more regular and thus the much more frequent use of the "naughty chair"; which, ironically enough, works better if I tell him to go sit in it, as opposed to carrying him to it myself, another form of "I do it" I suppose.


All of this craziness has collided with the affects of my third trimester. This has actually been a great pregnancy with the exception of the morning sickness earlier on and it wasn't until recently that I have started to get uncomfortable. I wake most mornings with every part of my body feeling as if it had been subject to some alien testing during the course of the night. Just drying my hair and making a little breakfast can leave me exhausted and short of breath like I have just been running sprints in my backyard. The braxton hicks contractions have started coming more frequently bringing that oh so comfortable feeling of someone tighten your midsection like you tightened the strings of a corset in the old days, causing my attractive waddle to become more pronounced. Add to this the lovely creaking and cracking sounds my body makes as I try to move into and out of various positions and the intermittent backpain and you have got the makings of some uncomfortable weeks on the horizon. At least I am in the last stretch.


This all may make me sound like I am not enjoying this or that I am completely overwhelmed, and to be honest, sometimes I am. But more often than not God reminds that this is truly precious time. After the birth of our second child, never again will it be just Noah and I at home together each day. I am thankful for his age, for his ability to give me hugs, to laugh with me, to dance with me, to play with me, to respond to the pages as I read him a book, to sing the Alphabet Song, to count to ten and attempt the teens, to say "Mamma" when he needs something, to ask to pray each night as he goes to bed. He is my precious boy, my buddy, my pal, my joy and I wouldn't trade this time for anything in the world.


Although there are all new adventures soon to be had, I know I will miss this, as sure as I will miss the new adventures when they have come and moved on into memory.