Second, I get irked at people too…even though (usually) there is no alterior (sp?) motive for their compliments.

I remember at Costco once, someone said, “how do you do it? I only have one and I’m soooo busy!”. I said, “how do YOU do it…you must be so board!”.

I called myself the B-word under my breath after that!

You should take credit, though! The fact is that Daniel and Rebecca are well-behaved and happy because you and M have given them a loving, stable environment, a lot of patience and stimulation. No, we can’t take credit for all the good — but I do believe that a lot of the good comes from nurture. So many “misses” happen with babies — they spend whole hours or days fussing, they throw a fit in public, you name it — that I feel like we as moms should learn to take credit when the good happens. I feel like motherhood is the hardest job I’ve ever had, and when I’m feeling down in the dumps, I like to kind of pat myself on the back. And you ARE wonderful, so you should pat yourself on the back too.