"Terrible Two?"

I've always been one of those parents that hates the phrase "terrible twos." After all, if you say that something is going to be terrible, chances are, it will inevitably turn out that way. I've strayed away from that terminology for so long but I must say, right now I'm starting to see that that's why there is such a phase in a child's life called "terrible." Lol

My sweet Adrienne... Where do I begin with her? She was the baby that slept completely through the night at 2 weeks of age and never looked back. She was happy to do just about anything, never minded being put down anywhere, and kind of fell into whatever schedule we were on without ever skipping a beat. Now, though, things seem much different... She's TWO. Oh.My.Word. I never expected this type of strong will out of a child who was the absolute picture of perfection as a baby. I feel like everything we do lately has been an uphill battle- Getting her shoes on, getting dress, buckling her car seat, eating, or whatever else. She's also very ritualistic and likes to do things in a certain order and if something is slightly off, she FREAKS. Whenever she uses the potty SHE has to shut the light off and then shut the door. Heaven help you if you forget to let her do it or walk out of the bathroom without lifting her up to the light switch. On and on the list goes. These types of battles exhaust me to no end.

Adrienne is also extremely, extremely moody. You never know if she's going to be grumpy and mean or goofy and smiling. Her mood changes so frequently and if she's in a good mood, you sure as heck try to keep it that way! The good news is that she's absolutely hilarious and genuinely nice when she's not in one of her awful moods. She makes the funniest comments and she's quite the character!

I was at my wits end the other day with her because it was one of those days where I had just had enough. After struggling with her at every turn she came up to me, put her hand on my back and said, "It's okay. Don't be afraid. The thunder won't hurt you." Haha. She wasn't even trying to be funny, though. She just saw I was upset and somehow knew that I comforted her with that phrase nights earlier and she thought it would do the same for me. Guess what? It worked!

So I guess that sometimes two CAN be terrible and in the midst of a crazy day it sometimes seems impossible to manage all that I have on my plate. However, in the lighthearted moments I can't help but think that two is wonderful and worth it a million times over.