Terrible Two

Sometimes I think that I have days like these to remind me that my charmed life isn't always perfect. A little tug of reality, if you will. And I guess that isn't such a bad thing. It started a few days ago and escalated. Yesterday was pretty terrible. Today things finally started to get better. And you know, it probably was just Little readjusting to her schedule and testing to see if the same boundaries were still in place. We were off schedule for so long, with Paul being gone and our week in Dallas, that it's no wonder she was throwing fits once we settled back into our routine. Of course it's easier to see it clearly in hindsight; at the time all I can think of is my frustration with the little screamer and how I can teach her that her behavior is not acceptable. I think what makes it even more frustrating is that I know that she knows how to behave because she is usually such a good, obedient girl who loathes time-outs and really really wants to be a good girl, as she sobbed in the middle of throwing a fit. But hey, this is nothing compared to the rows we'll be having when she's a teenager, right?

Another thing that I have just become aware of, and it amazes me, is that she is growing. A lot. Getting taller. Reaching things that I swear she could not reach two weeks ago. It's as if she decided to do all her growing during the time that Paul was gone. She is using "I" and "me" properly about half of the time now. She is speaking in long, complex sentences, and she is coherently expressing interesting thoughts and conclusions that leave me baffled as to where she got such an idea. She is constantly telling stories, making up words, and reciting books from memory that she has only been read a couple of times. I'm pretty sure she's already smarter than I am, and I have 24 years on her.

Of course she still has the emotional maturity of a two-year-old, but I'm in no hurry for her to grow up. I'll just continue to be baffled and amazed and frustrated by this wonderful crazy kid who calls me mommy.