I do it MYSELF

One of the most difficult parts of having Noah and Claire so close together in age (14 months apart) was how much still needed to be done for them at the same time. They both needed all of their food prepared for them (and sometimes fed to them as well). They both needed to be dressed. They both needed to be entertained. In other words, not alone was being done by them. Understandably of course, but still they were very dependant. And they both were not able to communicate their needs very well, which added the fun of guessing what they needed most of the time.
This time around having Nathan is a different experience. Sure he is completely dependant on us to meet his needs...and wants...but Noah and Claire are now a different story. Being 2 & 3 years old, a very strong-willed 2 & 3 I might add, they are beginning to think they can do everything on their own. I've always believed that this is what parenting is all about...teaching your children to be successful, kind, and independant people. What I didn't realize is how much this would try my patience at times. For example, when I am holding Nathan in one arm (a healthy 14 lbs.) and making breakfast in the kitchen, I am really just wanting to get through it as quickly as possible so I can also get bottles made, coffee going, and maybe even my own breakfast while I'm at it. But then Claire decides, "I do it MY-SELF!", and there it is. The little stubborn, independant darling I love. She can unscrew the peanut butter lid, and doesn't care how long I am squatting down with Nathan to hold the jar for her. She can pick out her own spoon, even if it takes 3 minutes and my cereal is turning to mush. She can put her shoes on or climb into her car seat, and couldn't care less that we are running late for work. I can't complain though, because they are really doing so well with starting to do things on their own. Noah will grab an apple and push a chair over to the sink to wash it himself. They play together upstairs on their own, something that was unimaginable even a year ago. I take it for granted now that they are capable of dressing and feeding themselves, even though that is the things that make life so much easier compared to after Claire was born.
I should add that the Rule of Quiet still applies when the kids are playing by themselves. That is, if I hear nothing but peace and quiet (a rare and dangerous occurance around here), something is not right. The last two incidents both required the carpet cleaner. This week Claire took her turn at coloring with crayons on the carpet in the study. She was much more artistic than her brother who only used the blue crayon. I think she used at least 8 colors. The other incident was 2 weeks ago in our bedroom. The kids had gotten into their "sick" bath bubbles (the Johnson's vapor bath that is $5 a bottle, not the $1 Walmart bubbles we usually use) and squeezed it all over our bedroom carpet. This was an hour before I was going into work.
Nathan's up....time to go see what the rest of the day brings!