Growing Pains

Abbey has crashed into the Terrible Twos with a vengeance. I say that with a smile, because I realize she is just finding her independence and her voice, and that is what I want for my daughter. It's probably too much to ask that she become independent, strong, and self-reliant, yet listen to every single thing I tell her to do, right?  Ryan and my mom both talk about how she inherited her stubborn streak from me; maybe that’s the reason that we seem to crash into each other head-on so frequently. My poor mom put up with a lot from me, and she has always warned me that I could find myself with a headstrong daughter of my own.  Well, you got your wish, Mom!  I am trying my best to look for the laughter and the smiles in this phase of her life and to limit the frustrations (both hers and my own.)

It’s such a new phase in our lives. She is changing and learning so much every day, and she is proving to have strong opinions about everything from food to what she wears to how I style her hair in the morning. Of course, she doesn’t yet have the rational power to express what she wants all of the time, so there are frequent meltdowns and scream-fests. In related news, potty training is proving to be a challenge. She is trying, and I know that it will take a little while, but we all know that patience isn’t my strongest virtue! I have asked her if she wants to wear diapers again, and the answer is a resounding, “NO!” so we will stick with it.

On the flip side, there are countless moments of sweetness and hilarity, and those are worth all the tantrums in the world. I guess I should be glad that Dylan can’t talk yet. He would probably spend a lot of his day asking when Daddy will be home to provide a little testosterone balance in the house!

It is winter in Michigan.  It's thawing a little now, but we have had a rough couple of weeks.  However, Abbey wanted to wear her new ladybug dress two weeks ago (a birthday gift from Aunt Karen & Uncle Al.)  We compromised with a long-sleeved onesie and some tights, although the tights came off as soon as we got to GMa & GPa's house.

I have tried to get Abbey to eat hummus on more than one occasion.  I eat it frequently, with either pita or veggies, and Abbey likes to ask to share what other people are eating.  However, she generally takes the pita section and hands it back to me, asking me to eat the "brown butter."  I was cleaning her little lunch area up the other day and found this when I walked back into the dining room.

Little did I know that hummus is best served on one's own finger. 

I'm trying hard to capture one of his smiles on camera.  He has an amazingly infectious smile, and I think everyone should see it.

We are still struggling a little with sleeping at night and tummy issues, but I do think that the Zantac is helping.  Dylan loves being held and snuggling, but he is (in general) a laid back and chill baby.

Sometimes Abbey wants "one ponytail" and sometimes she wants "two ponytails".  We're finally at a point where most (not quite all) of her hair will fit into the pigtails.  One of her favorite parts of "two ponytails" is shaking her head back and forth to feel the pigtails whip around.