second children - an essay on Charlotte

I remember, shortly after Charlotte's birth, sending a nastygram to all of my friends who told me that the second child is easier. Charlotte was, I thought, NOT easier. It just turns out that I didn't remember how exhuasting it is to wake up in the middle of the night. Charlotte was, by all accounts, a million times easier than Elisabeth. This was mostly because she (a) did not cry all of the time, (b) fell asleep on her own, and (c) entertains herself. The last one of these might make her more difficult though...

Again, I find myself inclined to send an email to these same friends. I'm becoming more and more certain that Charlotte will be a more problematic child than Elisabeth. She is absolutely so cute right now that every day she is lucky that she doesn't get eaten with a spoon. But she's beginning to show her true feathers. First, she's got a temper. I don't know where she got that from because I clearly don't have a temper. Stop it, stop laughing right this minute! Case in point: every Monday, while Elisabeth is in gym class, Charlotte and I split a chocolate croissant. I get the chocolate, she gets the croissant. This past Monday, I had the audacity to have the last bite (I pay for it, I am pretty sure I deserve the last bite!!!). Charlotte hollered at me, and screamed, and squealed, and kicked, and wiggled, and pointed at the empty bag, and screamed some more - for, I kid you not, 15 full minutes. They say distraction is the tool at this age. The only thing I could have distracted her with is a brand new chocolate croissant. She was undistractable. She will be the kid who has the tantrums at the grocery store that are the fodder of legends. And you'll have front row seats to all of the fun.

She is a quiet sort of child. But I fear she's devious. She's the type who will crawl around quietly and then before you know it, half of your plant has been de-leafed or she's got scissors and is heading for an unprotected electrical outlet. But you don't realize it because she's so quiet. Elisabeth, on the other hand, has always given us a running commentary even when she couldn't talk. Now, there isn't a moment that goes by where I don't know where Elisabeth is. "mommy, I'm going to eat cheerios now. Mommy, why are the cats eating your plant? Mommy can I have a cookie? Mommy, I'm making you something in my kitchen. Mommy, do you want to ride my horse with me? Mommy, can I watch a show? Mommy, I am in the potty!" You get the idea. And that's only 30 seconds of my day. I can imagine this turning into, in her teen years, "Mommy, where's the beer? Mommy, do we have any hypodermic needles?" Clearly I am scared of the teen years. Anyway, Charlotte is quiet but busy. And has a temper. And is determined.

If you want to witness Charlotte's determination, come over sometime and change her diaper. She is absolutely determined not to let anyone change her diaper. And she has succeeded. I refuse to change it now unless there's poop in it. She is the strongest baby and can flip and flop so well that it becomes actually impossible to change her diaper. Luckily, she is the second child which means (a) I don't feel quite as bad about holding her down and (b) I have a 3 yr old who can help me hold her down.

Lastly, she bites. But did I mention how cute she is? Here - see for yourself.

(Charlotte in the shelf that used to house cookbooks. They got de-shelf-estrated and then she climbed in. Again though, I couldn't find the baby, she was being quiet, and this is how I found her...)