Could it be?

Today was 50ish and sunny -- and we were actually outside to enjoy it. Emily's school finally let the kids go OUTSIDE for recess (another rant for another day) and then after school we went for a longish walk around the 'hood, with Max in the stroller. It was so nice to just be OUTSIDE. I think this long dreary winter has gotten to us far more than I thought it had.

Max has stood on his own a few times, and taken one or two steps, but as when he started crawling, it doesn't seem like he quite realizes what it is he's doing. I think it's a matter of a week or two at the most, though, before it finally clicks and he starts walking everywhere. That will be good in some ways and horrible in others -- I have a ton of babyproofing to do still, but if he's walking it will be much more fun to go outside and let him toddle around and hopefully tire himself out.

The sleeping (!) is still a joke, but I think I'm finally going to have to give in and Ferberize, probably this summer (once YSU's term is over). I suppose "never say never" applies to parenting as much as it does to anything else. When Hannah was a baby there was a huge flap over Ezzo (Babywise) vs. Sears (attachment parenting) and in my naive addled new-parental white-hot self-righteousness, Sears/AP was THE only way to parent and anyone who deviated even slightly from that wasn't fit to care for a houseplant, let alone a child.

Luckily, almost 10 years into parenting, I've had enough of the shit kicked out of me and learned from it in the bargain. I still would rather take a more AP approach, but not at the expense of my sanity, marriage, older child and physical well-being.

I'm probably just as naive and rigid in my thinking about parenting teenagers as I once was about parenting infants/toddlers, but at least I know now to keep my mouth shut (most of the time) and just watch and LEARN.

Besides, right now the idea of having two children who would rather die than be seen in public with me and who skulk monosyllabically in their rooms and only come out to eat, shit and go to school sounds rather heavenly, after a day of having one child physically attached to my boob/lap/legs and the other talking at me nonstop from the moment she wakes until she finally drifts off to sleep. I love them with every fiber of my being, but my being is pretty darned worn out by now.

Remind me of this in 5 to 10 years, by the way.