Terrible Two's

They truly are and people keep telling me that 3 is worse. Oh joy!

***It is important to note before reading forward that this post is in no way me 'bitching' about having a bratty 2 year old. This blog has always been about documenting what is going on in our house at that particular moment. Things are not always sunshine and rainbows but I want to be able to look back one day, read this and see how far we have grown.***

Olivia, you are truly one of the lights of my life. These days, however, I find that I am reminding myself that far too much. The past few months have been rough, to say the least. I remember when you were about 18-23 months old and would throw the occasional little tantrum and I would think to myself "If this is what 2 is like, this will be a breeze. I don't know why people complain." Man, was I delusional!

Most days are not too bad. An occasional fit here and there. And then there are those days where you are screaming, crying and whining....all in the same breathe, I might add....when I just stare at you in absolute shock. How can one little person be so sweet and lovely one minute and completely miserable the next? I have learned to pick my battles with you. Sadly for me, that means afternoon naptime for you has pretty much become a thing of the past. You have been doing very well with no naps and usually will go to your room and watch "Cinderella" or something for an hour. Bedtime has become easier and earlier as well. Not that bedtime was ever a struggle with you but it is nice that you going to bed between 7:30-8:30 instead of 8:30-9:30. I like having you both in bed early and having an hour or two to myself or with Daddy on the weekends.

No naps has also seemed to put an end to your middle of the night travels too. For awhile, you were getting out of bed and crawling into bed with us in the middle of the night. It wouldn't have been that big of deal except when you crawled into our bed, you had no intention of going back to sleep and would start playing and talking. No offense, but I don't do 4 am chats that well. It got to the point that we basically had to lock you in your room at night so you would go back to your own bed and go back to sleep.

Mealtime has probably been our biggest struggle. You just went through a HUGE growth spurt and were eating like a horse for a few months straight. Now that you are done growing so much, you are also not eating as much. For some reason, you seem to think that you do not need meals and can survive off small snacks all day long. Supper time seems to be the worst. And eating supper/wasting food is one of those things I am not willing to compromise on. We tried one night where you sat at the table, crying at your plate for 3.5 hours and then went straight to bed. Definitely no success there as a couple nights later you decided to go to bed with no supper and no crying at 5:30. Now, you will at least sit at the table while we eat and if you don't eat, I save your food for later. It is always a guarenteed meltdown when you ask for a snack before bed and your supper plate comes out. Oh well, you are learning on that one and I am learning that there is no point cooking anything with red sauce on it because you just do not like it.

Cooking together has become one of my favorite times. Not only because I am "Big Chef" and you are "Little Chef", but because it helps to get you interested in dinner. Sure, you usually only manage to make a mess of water on the counters but you like to be my helper plus, your brother isn't big enough to help yet either. One thing we can do just the two of us.

The one good point of these tantrums, and attitude in general, is that those moments when you are so cute and sweet and brillant are just so much more special. When you are frustrated and crying and you finally "get it" and I get to experience that. That joy is the best! You are growing and changing in amazing ways and are so independent and smart. Sometimes, when we are reading or playing, you will just lean over and say "I love you, Mom" or "I miss you, Dad". There is nothing better than knowing that through all the chaos and stuggle we go through somedays, you still love us unconditionally.