changing behaviors, baby steps at a time

Watching my baby boy melt is an ever increasing event around our home. Two is approaching, curiosity is in overdrive, and emotions are raw and running right near the surface. Bedtime is drawn out as he opens the door and peeks out at my Hottie Husband and I countless times, mornings begin extra early, and quiet is not a calming sound during waking hours. But then again, neither is the full on screams that come with a meltdown. 
As I sat in the tub soaking one night, ruminating over the drastic changes in my sweet little tornado, I came to the conclusion that while his lack of sleep, heightened curiosity  and high energy are playing into these changes, that my behavior was as well. I have a 'to do' list that drives me through each day. It dictates 'whats important now' and I follow it almost religiously to accomplish all I can - especially with this babe coming so soon! My increasingly long list has been forgetting to mention two very important people though, and I suspect that my focus on the list has made my little men feel less important that a piece of paper. So, I've been conducting an experiment of sorts to see if my thoughts were valid, or simply the creation of a hyper sensitive pregnant woman [I admit that my emotions are most likely more raw and near the surface than Eli's] and here is what I have been doing to test my theory:

• My phone is not toted around with me, there for I am missing calls/texts and other attempts to contact me. However, those that know me best have my home phone number and are still able to reach me. The simple fact of not having my phone with me has been a liberating feeling that creates more focus and attention on my wee men as well.
• We read more books, play more play dough, and make more messes. When Eli needs to snuggle it doesn't matter if I'm 'almost done' or not, I simply stop my task and snuggle him.
• My workouts are done sometimes in segments, all dictated by whether my little men are needing to switch up the playtime or not.
• Bath time has my full attention as I sit and talk and laugh, instead of reading while the boys laugh and talk to one another.

And have these simple changes made any difference for Eli? You bet! Yes he still gets into everything [including painting freshly painted walls when Mama and Daddy both thought the other parent had Eli with them,] punching, fighting, and throwing tantrums - but the frequency of the tantrums has decreased at least ;) So while it takes more hours in a day for me to tick off the items on my to do list, the hours I spend with my boys are filled with happier sounds and that makes everyday much more wonderful!