On the home front, Justin is driving me absolutely crazy! It is all very typical 2-year-old stuff.
He is a little speech delayed (even though he's talking more and more every day) and hard to understand, which often leads to frustration for both him and me.
If I won't let him under the sink to play with the cleaners (and I won't unless I am cleaning and I give him his own wipe...I use a Clorox wipe and he gets a baby wipe!), he screams. If I won't let him have anything he wants out of the pantry/fridge/freezer, he screams. If I won't let him have his pacifier (my only child to ever take one!) whenever and wherever, he screams. You get it...tantrum city at every turn!
I have most definitely learned to pick my battles. As a result, I give in a bit more frequently than I would've with the first few kids (an extra ounce of juice probably won't hurt him in the long run)! But, I am not a pushover...which means that I have to deal with this tantrum stage with as much grace and peace of mind as possible. Not much, apparently!
I was feeling very tapped out last night when I sat down at the computer after bedtime. I was only going to check out a few sites (before moving to the couch to vegetate instead...ha!). However, I got hooked on a blog that made a profound impact on me.
It's at bringinghenryhome.blogspot.com. It is the story of a Catholic woman who had six children and was trying to choose a New Year's resolution. One year, she chose running and completed a half-marathon. Another year, another respectable goal. Well, in 2011, she chose "helping orphans," which she googled.
Long story short (although it's not short by any means), she felt God calling her family to adopt a little boy with very complicated special needs in Eastern Europe. Once she realized that God was asking her to adopt this boy (she woke up at 3 a.m. one night and realized it...love the way God communicates!), she asked her husband and then was SILENT (talk about hard to do...ha!) for about a month when he discerned.
After a very long process (which she chronicles beautifully in her blog), Henry came home. He changed the lives of everyone he met for the BETTER. In a blog post entitled, "Henry is finally home," this woman (Carla Dobs) speaks of how her special son Henry, age 2, is finally home in heaven.
As soon as I finished reading, I went into my 2-year-old's room to watch him sleep. He was perfect...so healthy, so peaceful. I thought that every tantrum is just a little step to becoming who God wants him to be! How blessed I am to be his guide on this journey. Blessed Mother, help me to be a better mother.
And, talk about a new perspective on life. I can think about what I want my New Year's Resolution to be in 2013...but I wonder what God wants my New Year's Resolution to be! Better keep praying. Maybe little Henry can intercede for me!
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