COUNTDOWN: Four Days to Go

Since Ollie has joined the Haynes Household, we are now a family of four. So, in honor of FOUR remaining days of Ollie's baby-blog, here are the top four ways that Ollie has changed our family dynamic...

MERRIT: BIG BROTHER EXTRAORDINAIRE
Merrit has blown us all away with what an awesome big brother he is! Never, not once, and I can honestly say this, has Merrit ever showed an ounce of jealousy. I think that's pretty remarkable. Merrit is also incredibly patient with Ollie. Even when Ollie knocks down Merrit's block towers, messes up painstakingly built puzzles, or dumps over a bucket of Legos after Merrit has just finished picking them up, Merrit will say, "Mom, Ollie's getting into trouble! Get him!" He doesn't yell at Ollie and I love that. Merrit also takes a lot of joy in Ollie. He laughs at Ollie's mischieviousness and silliness. After all, Merrit's the one that coined the nickname "Sneaker Peeker." These two boys genuinely enjoy being together. I hope and pray that they will be lifelong friends!

WE HAVE A "BABY" IN THE FAMILY NOW
After reading "The Birth Order Book" by Kevin Leman, I see how Ollie's personality will be affected by the kind of interaction he has with his older sibling. Even if we tried to parent Ollie exactly like we parented Merrit (which is impossible for so many reasons), he spends hours a day playing with a five-year-old, which is very different from playing with an adult. The way a five-year-old plays with a toddler is a little more crazy and a little less gentle than how a grown-up plays with a toddler. And even though we do have quiet book-reading time with Ollie, and we do play sweet and snuggly games like peek-a-boo and "This Little Piggy," and we do sing lullabyes and "dance" together in his darkened room before bedtime, that isn't the entirety of how Ollie encounters the world. He also has Merrit jumping out at him from behind chairs yelling, "AAAAARRRGGGGHHHH!", and running up behind his high chair and shaking it violently to get him to laugh, and play-wrestling him to the floor until I say, "Merrit, is he enjoying that...?" So it's easy to see why "The Birth Order Book" says that the last-born child is typically a fun-loving, uncomplicated and outgoing attention-seeker. The class clown. The thrill-seeker. The gregarious little mischief-maker. Hmmm, sound like anyone we know?

PARENTING EACH CHILD IS A NEW ADVENTURE
We've been at this parenting thing for five years now and I think it's safe to say that we understand Merrit's personality, what his love languages are, what kinds of discipline he responds to, and what kind of encouragement he needs. As Ollie gets older, we will have to figure out what makes him tick and how to uniquely parent him. What works with Merrit may not work with Ollie. We will have to be flexible, teachable, and tuned-in. So, the parenting dynamic and the discipline methods may have to change. If nothing else, parenting these two boys promises to be interesting! :-)

SACRIFICES TO MAKE AND GOOD STUFF TO ENJOY
Mike and I have had to adjust to what our life looks like as parents of of two kids. Going from one to two is not as difficult as going from none to one, but it has still been challenging. Fewer uninterrupted conversations. Fewer date nights. More fatigue. Less of a chance that you'll actually sleep all night long. Noisier car rides. Noisier mealtimes. In fact, noisier everything! But that's just a list of the sacrifices we've made. The joys that are added to daily life have exponentially increased, and the addition of one new personality to the mix makes life 100 times richer. More laughter. More photo opportunities. More Halloween costumes. More silly songs. More tickling. More dinner-table memories. More of the good stuff!