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4.16.2012

trying, terrible, terrific, toddler twos

No lie:

http://messagewithabottle.tumblr.com/


Two might just kill me.

Gwenivere Mae - the cheese to my bread, my sunshine and my smiley girl. Also a terror on two legs!! Lol, two legs which this weekend looked like this:

Maybe she wanted her own "pretty pictures"
(what she calls my tattoos).

Girl has so much she wants to say, so much she wants to do (on her own of course, "I DO IT!"), and heaven help the person who gets in her way. I haven't gotten to pick out her clothes in AGES, but now sometimes she gives me such a hard time about even the little tweaks to make her outfits weather-appropriate. Foods she loves she sometimes decides she hates. She'll have a complete breakdown if you tell her there are no more of [whatever snack is the magic snack that she decides she must have today]... or when you tell her that she can't have it 5 minutes before dinner. She wants to open/close every door, and put on her own diaper, and pee on the toilet but only if she feels like it and not if she doesn't and sometimes for 20 more minutes even though she did the actual peeing as soon as she sat down and...

The ages of 2 - 3 (and 12, 17, 20...) are "straddling" ages. My little girl is caught between the toddlerhood she is shedding, and the childhood that lays beyond. From what I've heard, the dawning of that childhood (4 - 5) is pretty magical and wonderful. But this coming of age part... well, i know its as hard for her as it is for me. She wants to be able to tell me everything, but sometimes she just can't find the words... or I can't understand them. She wants to be able to do everything, but she's not quite big enough to reach, or strong enough to carry, or...

And Mama has her good days and bad days too. Some days I can read her, feel the frustration building, and head it off at the pass. I can weather any anger and yelling with a calm determination, "I see you are angry, you take a minute and let me know when you are ready to try again. We can do it together." Other days she catches me off guard with every outburst and and I'm left wondering what happened. Some days its all I can do to grit through my teeth, "Enough. We Don't Hit." Some days I want to push the fast forward button up to 16x.

BUT she is also bright, and happy, and loving... grabbing your face to kiss both cheeks and your forehead. I don't want to fast forward that part, and I hope she doesn't grow out of it!

Probably just threw a handful of peas on the floor... ;-) 
or maybe she was just humoring me.

7 comments:

  1. Threes are worse....seriosuly.

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  2. I'm scared to experience this x2!!

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    1. At least the good parts will be x2 also! :-)

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  3. I love the first picture I have to send it to my hubby! We are experiencing the terrible twos as well and have the hitting, saying 'Mine' and pointing and saying 'No' to me. She also has mini tantrums in public which happened to me on Sunday at the mall when I was alone. I almost wanted to break down but I didn't I pulled myself together and got her back in her stroller and started walking. She calmed down and promptly fell asleep. Me and hubby are surviving and I must say the times she wants hugs and kisses from us I cherish them. I have noticed when I challenge her mind with certain puzzles or drawing with her she is better. It is dealing with the frustration that I see building when she can't do something and we are trying to channel that frustration into something more positive. Mom told me I had the terrible three's so hoping her time is the 2-year age mark and by three she will be better. We plan to start trying for a second child in the Fall and have our second child after she turns three by that time she will be in preschool. She loves little babies and already so very social. She is so independent much like me and I agree they want to do everything on their own. It is finding that balance we have good days and bad days and I just keep remembering those times she reaches up and says 'Hug' or kisses me or cuddles with me when she is drinking her bottle. Thank you for sharing this post it is nice knowing that I am not going through this alone.

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    1. Thanks for the comment, its definitely nice knowing other mamas are there too! Good luck with TTC #2, and hopefully we'll both emerge from the other side of 2 (& 3?) unscathed!!

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  4. Just checking in from "bring you to your knees threes" to say... I hear you, girl!! It does seem to just get harder (and also better) as you go. M and I marvel at least once a day that we (and everyone else we know) made it out of toddlerhood alive. I guess it's that "also better" part that saved us all. :-)

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