Happy Birthday to You...

This seems to be a new favorite to sing. Over and Over and Over and Over again. In English and Creole. Sometimes it's part English and part Creole. There seems to be no one in particular it is sung to. Ohh...I miss my camera with a video feature. Because I'd love to share it with you.
Here is what else is new. Re has had a few moments of testing and a couple meltdowns. Start off angry and end in grief. The grief that can be tangibly felt in the room. The grief that takes precedence over everything else. And we pray our arms holding him is comfort enough, without trying to fix it.
Er is testing boundaries too. But it seems more in line with normal behavior for a three year old. She ate soup for dinner, picking out the carrots. We thought she was eating them, however they were hiding in her lap. If she could figure out to feed them to the dog, it would solve more than one problem. While her and the dog seem to have worked out a agreement-you leave me alone and I'll stop screaming in your face-she still wants to be the dogs friend. And the dog still can't quite figure out why she is screaming. So if she would stop screaming, feed the dog the carrots, and see that it is a win-win, then it would resolve any conflict that can come between a dog and kid.
Ce and P are doing well. C got to experience Er first biting episode. C handled it well, and next time will move quicker to put her down. Er hopefully learned that biting is an excellent way to spend quite a bit of time in her bedroom alone, and doesn't repeat it. But we aren't betting on that. P had her 'normal' rough morning this morning. But that isn't unusual on a Monday. So I'm chalking it up to the Monday blues, and not the transition.
R and I are hanging in there. We are tired, like all new parents. And we are new parents. While we have parented for the last 12 years, this is a whole new game. And we are fumbling around hoping we don't fall flat on our faces. If we do, I'll be sure and blog about it. The impact this is having on our marriage is as great as when Ce and P were newborns, or the year of grief after my mom's death. We have almost no time together, and what we do have is spent making up a game plan. Beyond that, exhaustion takes over. Conversations aren't finished because sleep takes over. Date nights have long been abandoned. Kisses are saved for before bed, and sometimes we get a hug in the morning. The last 18 months of purposefully investing in our marriage is paying off tenfold. Our communication is limited, but it is happening and is good. We know this phase shall pass and we will both be waiting for each other at the other end.
Now I'm going to go sneak out back for a 8 minute date while the kids are happily watching a movie. We might even make out a little...shhh...don't tell the neighbors.