Two under two

I see now why families have a separation between children of either two years or less, or of four or more years.  Dealing with the tantrums of a two year old, teaching them self control and handling all of the dramatics that go with the age bracket, lulls you out of the wonder of the under-two child love affair.  Having another who has an inability to express themselves at the same time, just makes your life a concert of wailing.  Sometimes, I just have to start laughing at the absurdity.  

We try to make it to our country house on the weekends in the requisite two hour time frame.  Inevitably, it ends up being more in the time frame of a cross-country road trip.  We hit the road around 6:00 and sometime around midnight after countless pit-stops and lessons in self-control, we arrive.  Tonight as we hit traffic on the Major Deegan, the offense came as Daddy took a banana that was somehow intended exclusively for Irina.  A wailing ensued, "I want that banana", inaudible through tears and snot and kicking and screaming.  We countered with, "just ask without crying", it got louder and worse with each calm encouragement that we made.  Then the little one started wailing.  All I could do was laugh at the ridiculous nature of it all.  We were stuck in traffic, both were wailing, one wanting a particular banana, one realizing that she was hungry and asking the only way she could to be fed, and us helpless in the front seat trying to teach a lesson.  The crying and screaming increased in volume and tenor and all I could do was laugh.  One day they will both be articulate and ask for food without screaming at the top of their lungs. 

 I offer this advice, they are so cute and egoless at 18 months, you want to have dozens at that age.  I bought into it, that's when I got pregnant with number two.   Just wait until they make it past the terrible twos and the "there isn't a catchy name, but it is just as bad, maybe worse, threes" and then think about having the second one.  

My cousin told me when the second one was born, "the next three years are going to be the hardest you'll encounter, but fast forward four years from now, and the following is the scenario; your children prod you awake at some un-godly hour and you say, go play,  four hours later, you slowly roll out of bed to check on them and they are still happily playing".  I think of this blissful moment in the future (how un-buddhist of me, the future) and I make it through the present moment with a small smile cracking my lips.

Have them three years apart, really.