Tabitha can walk, she's taken loads of steps, cruises between people and furniture but for the most part continues to use crawling as her default.
Jackson can't see what all the fuss is about and is mastering standing. He's still a bit smaller than Tabitha and such a compact little grape tomato.
On the downside both tomatoes are fully established screamers. I take no credit for this whatsoever. Roger and Sara are the encourages, rewarders and purveyors of all things scream. Never have any of my kids (or babies) been screamers, ever. It is one of my least favorite things only beaten by biters.
Oh, have I mentioned? Jackson is a biter! Oh yes! Thanks to Roger, not me, not Sara, Roger is fully responsible for this wonderful new side of Jackson - Jacko the Biter. Of course poor Tabitha gets the worst of it because she doesn't even see it coming. Roger lets him do it so when Roger isn't around Tabitha has become his object of choice.
But you know how these things go, they come in threes. Double screaming and extreme biting are being followed by sibling aggression - which is gaining popularity quickly! By the end of the month this may become our favorite activity, punctuated with screams and biting of course as they never go out of fashion.
I can't say whether my job here is headed down a very short road, because I am a person who enjoys a good challenge. But I must be honest, the thought has crossed my mind more than a few times. One of the parents is going through a midlife crisis. They've quit their job and spend their days in and out, shopping and questioning every. little. thing. that. goes. on. To say it is exhausting would be an understatement. Having worked with so many families before this and only having biters in families with upheaval and inconsistency, once either Norah or I had left, I know that the road biting takes is a long and painful one. And the screaming. GOODNESS but the screaming. Roger and Sara encourage it. It annoys them and they encourage it, whether intentionally or not they know they are doing it. Yet it continues.
The best part though?
These kids are SO smart. They get it. When Roger and Sara are out, when it's just me and them - they don't scream, they don't bite and we don't have trouble. But those times are becoming fewer and farther between. I'm a patient person but there is only so much one can take. There's only so much one should take. I may be reaching the end. I'm going to give it my best, but my time for parenting the parents was in the beginning, I shouldn't be expelling more energy on them then the kids at this point.
