With a capital T

So recently I wrote about Kennedy being in trouble. Well, lately Macy IS trouble, with a capital T! Her favorite word seems to be "no." Sometimes she says it with a cute smile and sweet shake of her head. Occasionally she gets a very worried look on her face when quietly saying the word. It can also be a straight forward, simple no. Sometimes she cries while saying it. Other times it's shouted while her little legs are kicking away (Kennedy has had a few similar tantrums herself recently, but mostly when she is really tired and someone other than mama is trying to help her.) I've don't think I've ever heard Macy say "yes" to anything. And now she's also picked up "No Way!"

We've been spoiled by Kennedy. At this age, she could say so many words, and she was so easy to understand. Communication wasn't ever an issue. Macy is delightful, don't get me wrong. I love her more than I ever could have imagined. I love her just as much as I love Kennedy. And really, I don't even want to compare her to how I remember Kennedy being at this age. That's not the point. Macy just has a different personality. My mom called her a "little Kathy" (her sister) - I think meaning the difficult one. Is it just a common characteristic for the second child to be more challenging?

Macy doesn't eat well. She's picky about tastes and textures, often spits food out and throws it on the floor. I think she would live off cookies and cake if she could. Sometimes she gets really whiny. She wants to be held all the time (ok, not really), but it's usually at the most difficult times. And it has to be me holding her. And she's so persistent about it. When she wants something, she wants it, and she won't give up easily. And this particular night, she's demonstrated it all. And, although I think of myself as a pretty patient mom, it's really getting to me. Of course it's even harder because Jake had to leave Sun Valley this afternoon to get back home for work tomorrow. I know she's tired, she has a cold, she's off her schedule, and she doesn't want to miss out on any of the fun we're having. I can't blame her because we are having such a great time here. Finally though, enough was enough. I put her to bed right in the middle of dinner.

And now I just peeked in to see Macy sleeping peacefully. She looks absolutely perfect all stretched out in the port-a-crib with her arms above her head. That's because she is perfect, just in a different way from her sister. She's spirited. She's determined. She's focused. She's mine, and yes, I love every bit of her! (even when she's at her worst.)