The Monster Within

I know that for both Tim and I the terrible twos started around 18 months. Well, Quin will be 18 months on Sunday and seems to be right on track with his behavior. I know some of you are thinking that I don't know what a child throwing a true tantrum looks like, well that may be true (and I am perfectly happy in my ignorance), but Quin is definitely not his usual sweet, well mannered, polite self. Lately, if I didn't know better, I would think there was a monster living in our son!

I know the past month has been EXTREMELY difficult with the move and all of his new teeth, but I think the terrible twos are upon us. I find comfort in knowing that this is just a faze (and in knowing that there is a drop-in child care center not too far away) and will soon pass. As for right now, he flips from extremely clingy and whiny to overly loud and opinionated at the drop of a hat. I know that a lot of this behavior stems from him not being able to properly communicate his thoughts and fears, but at least he knows how to sign. I am 100% sure that the signing that we have been teaching him has helped tremendously. Without them, the best he would be able to do is use his handful of words and then point and grunt. He would be a caveman!

He does love to push my buttons (he must have inherited that from his dad) to see if he can get a reaction out of me. He tries everything he can think of from throwing his food at me to knowingly playing with things that he is not supposed to. Most things get the usual response of me saying/signing no, although the occasional act is done in such outright disobedience that he actually says "no-no" while he is doing whatever it is he feels like doing. These instances actually have a tendency to make me laugh (I try and hide it, but sometimes it is just so hard!).

It must be an evolutionary mommy trait that no matter how much of a monster he turns into, I still find him just as cute and lovable as ever. Even when he tries to be really rotten, I can't help but laugh (most of the time)!