Emotional Birthday

It was like a switch. He woke up one day about two weeks ago and it was like it had always been there. He'd never used it before, but suddenly it was his favorite. It seems to carry a different tone, an air of authority.

No.

The other day I caught him practicing in his crib before he called us to get him up for the day. "No, no, no" in a sweet little sing-song voice. Prepping for his day, I guess.

To be fair, it probably didn't happen over night. He used to say "all gone." It was a multi-purpose word meaning "I'm done eating," "I need more," "Your plate is empty," "I don't like my current situation," "stop" or "no." It was so much cuter than no.

His mastery of the word does, however, seem to coincide with an increase in his willfulness, his demands, and his reactions. He gets a little physical when he really doesn't want to do something - the kid can hold on to the back of the carseat tighter than you'd believe. Sometimes he hits me, which earns him an immediate time out. He cries and flips over when I try to change his diaper until I wrestle him into submission.

And he tricks you. His tantrums aren't the super-violent type. He tried throwing himself on the floor a few times, but quit when we laughed at him. Yet he knows that we always give in to his pathetic face because its, well, pathetic. He uses his sad cry and pathetic face to manipulate us. And you know what? We didn't even realize it. It certainly started before no arrived. we just didn't see it until now.

Now we must discipline for real. Now we must distinguish what is manipulative, on purpose and disobedient. The other mamas have convinced me that he understands more than he lets on - they all do.

Welcome to the two's, little boy. Lets not stay long.