My kid and notes from Year 2.6
September 13, 2017
IT ME
Someone has developed self awareness.
(JB: Me!)
Me: Someone ate all my crackers.
JB: ME!
PiC: Someone doesn’t have the-
JB: ME!
Pic: -best hand-eye coordination.
PiC: Someone’s made a mess here.
JB: *proudly slaps chest* ME!
Consequences
Sometimes JuggerBaby gets so frustrated by a no, or life, that ze gets rude, sulky, and throws things. Now, being frustrated is normal. That happens. But ze isn’t allowed to throw things in anger – it’s hit me, PiC, or Seamus in the past and that hurts!
Ze requested goat pictures and a book and conditional permission was granted: after ze got socks and shoes on. For some reason, probably impatience, ze was struggling and got mad at the socks for not just getting on zir feet. The socks went airborne, and the goat pictures were forfeit.
My voice got quite level and stern, “you’ve lost goat pictures, the book is yours to earn or lose.” The shoes went on the wrong feet, then the right feet, then, “may I have goat pictures, please?”
“No, you threw your socks so that means no goat pictures today. You have your book.”
“May I have goat pictures, please?”
“That’s a good ask but the answer is still no. Remember throwing your socks?”
*nods*
“That’s why you can’t have goat pictures now, throwing socks is not ok.”
“May I have goat pictures please?”
“No, but tomorrow you can try again, without throwing socks. If you do, then you can have goat pictures.”
“Oh. Ok.”
Freedom and sleep shenanigans
We didn’t have enough going on, so JuggerBaby thought it’d be HILARIOUS to climb out of zir crib and fall overboard with the loudest thump you ever did hear.
SpiderBaby this kid is not.
I soothed zir and back to bed ze went, but softy that he is, PiC decides to release zir from the crib the next day, converting it into a toddler bed. Ze really is getting too long for this small crib but it’s “home” and ze will fit for a while longer.
Honestly we could have released the wee beastie months ago but ze was content and so were we.
Now, though. Now ze has had a taste of freedom. And ze is a mixed up pile of not knowing what to do with it. One night, ze insisted I stay in the room with zir. So I did, and ze caterwauled for 15 minutes before dropping off to sleep. Another night, ze kept trying to snuggle with me which was cute but awkward. I hide my illicit phone activities under a blanket but when the toddler insists on being Big Spoon and then pops up with a “what doing, mama?” every couple of minutes, ze is bound to catch me in the act of blogging or emailing.
Most nights involve a little chasing back to bed. The novelty of being able to slide out of bed physically, not just sitting in the cage stalling for time, is a delicious heady brew and ze can’t get enough of it.
But mama has her ways. One night I shrugged and said I’d sleep in zir bed, then. “No! I sleep own bed!”
Another night I stood watch at the door for a few minutes listening to the giggling and in zir amusement, ze forgot to make a break for it.
Occasionally PiC intervenes but I often shoo him away. He takes every single wake up, every painful morning, without fail so I insist on sticking to my end of the bargain. Night calls are my calls.
It’s a mixed bag, honestly, but we’ll see if ze settles down soon, for good.
After naps it’s like ze forgets the prison door has been unlocked, and hollers for Daddy repeatedly. When I show up at the door, ze asks: may I get out?
It’s a slight improvement on when ze would holler for me, specifically to tell me: I want daddy.
Really? You called me in here ten times to go get daddy?
Yes. Daddy please.
Dietary development
Something weird happened this summer: salad became desirable! It started when we shared a Costco Ceasar salad. Ze has an obsession with dipping foods in sauces, and lettuce into Ceasar dressing was a match made in heaven. The next dinner salad that was served turned into a greens massacre, leaving us adults with only salad toppings and frisée to eat. Frisée being, as any civilized being would know, not nearly green enough.
Brain development
The contrast between this month and the month ze turned two is unbelievable. At that time, I thought we were DOOMED. Ze was irrational, demanding, and melted down at all possible provocations, including breathing the same air as ze was breathing.
Now, though ze has moments of frustrations or even tantrums, a semi reasonable child is about five minutes away with a bit of space and even tempered handling. Of course if you get cranky and snappish, it escalates, and boy howdy does it escalate. And of course when we’re tired, that’s exactly what happens until everyone is cranky.
Precious #parenting moments
Me: Put on your pants.
JB: I can’t.
Me: Why?
JB: My hands broken.
***
JuggerBaby snuck out of zir room in the middle of the night, cackling. Spun around to run back in, full speed into the door. BAM!!!
I laughed so hard that ze laughed, too.
It’s pretty clear that JB has inherited the Complete and Utter Klutz gene from me.
:: How did you learn that actions have consequences? Do you remember changing your mind about any particular food that was previously anathema?
You handled the throwing thing well. My daughter still throws things, and we mainly handle it by saying “You break it, you buy it.” Of course, that works better with things that actually break and not so well with socks. Consequences are good though, and frankly, so is low-stakes failure. It may lead to frustration, but kids have to learn to overcome that. (So do some adults.)
My kid has decided she likes lettuce this summer (previously, she’d just eat tomatoes, cucumbers, and croutons out of any salad) as well as sweet potatoes. Since I’d happily eat both anytime, I’m glad to have them back in the dinner rotation.
Two and two and half is a big developmental jump. As I recall, three has it’s own issues, and they’re different than 2, but as ze gets older there will probably be a chaotic balance between when reason works with zir and when it doesn’t.
I’m trying a few tactics including “if you’re abusing it, that tells me you don’t need it” for things ze wants to keep, and consequences of other things that ze wants if it’s something ze doesn’t want (like socks).
I don’t know when I learned to love lettuce but I’m glad JB is into it now. Ze is also REALLY into cucumbers.
You’re doing well. Keep at it.
Our kid still throws a tantrum sometime, but it is much less frequent now. I’m sure your kid will be more mature very soon. You’ll be a big sad, really.
Probably don’t need a crib anymore at this age. Our kid was a restless sleeper and fell out of bed once in a while. It’s low so he never got hurt.
Thanks, we’re working hard at it.
[…] love reading updates on LB growing up because it reminds me of when Little Bun was tinier and easier to handle in some […]