"Kids are like pancakes: You ruin the first one; you get better with the second; and by the third one, you flip it over just at the right time."

There are many things that i've learned to do differently with my second child. he lost his paci at 15 months (while his sister got to keep hers until 3), he goes to bed at night with one song (while his sister makes us read her a story and sing her 10 songs....and fill up her water...and get her blanket that she left downstairs...), he gets dessert only after he actually eats something for dinner (we're not even going to talk about what Emily gets...), he wears what we tell him to wear (while his sister puts up a fit every morning until we let her out of the house wearing whatever she wants...and by "we" i mean "me"), he sits in the stroller when we want him to (while his sister whines and complains until we let her walk). are you sensing a pattern here???

All in all, the boy is so much easier than the girl. and i'm not sure that it's because of his nature, or because i've learned from the first experience what NOT to do. it's the whole nature vs. nurture debate.

I think that all first born girls are put on this earth to test their mothers and to drive them insane. The girl certainly does a good job of that. she knows exactly which buttons on me to push. she knows how to turn on the whine, the cry, the scream, and the screech when it's appropriate to get her what she wants.

it's funny though, because she's amazing for everyone but me. people say to me, "Emily's such a doll. she's so bright. she's always so polite and sweet." and my first reaction is, "My Emily? Sweet? polite? are you sure we are talking about the same girl?" she seems to save all this explosive energy for me. from the time in walk in the door in the afternoon until bedtime, i struggle with her.

"Mommy, i'm hungry."
"Okay, how bout a banana."
"No. I want a treat."
"Emily, it's 5:00. im' not giving you a treat."
"I want a treat."
"I said no. Let's find something else."
"I WANT A TREAT!"
"No."
"I WANT A TREAT!I WANT A TREAT!"

and this is where i begin to lose it. and i've only been home for 3 minutes...

if Kelly Ripa is right, the first is just a lost cause, you seem to get it almost right with the second, and you just get it right with the third one. I can only hope and pray that she's right. I don't think i could handle another Emily.