Toddler = Trouble

Uh Oh! Here comes trouble, em, I mean, here comes Taji! Allow me to share a little glimpse into just another day's adventure with a toddler and his 6 month preggo mommy! This one is for the books! Yesterday started out as any other day, we ate breakfast as a family, read books, did our Your Baby Can Read flashcards and watched the little DVD, played with dada before he took off for work, and before we knew it, it was that time in the late morning, Taji's usual 10am nap. Except he wasn't having it, and he threw the biggest fight. He made his first statement by throwing his lamb, puppy, and pacifier out of his crib, which made him even more upset. He then proceeded to battle it out with his crib by kicking the bars and chewing on the side (i have the teeth marks on the wood to prove it!). After about 30 minutes of non-stop crying I popped my head in to calm him down. I gave him his baba, changed his diaper, read a few more books, and when he said "all done", I asked him if he wanted his puppy and paci back, and sure enough he did and was so ready and eager for that nap. Lesson learned= he wants to be in control of naptime, meaning you have to make him believe he's calling the shots and deciding to nap! After a glorious 3 hour nap (he's down to 1 a day now, and he likes to snooze around lunch time,) he scarfed down his lunch, and then I spent the next 20 minutes chasing him around the house with the sunscreen, socks, and shoes, while he giggled and yelled "I get you!" (his version of "i'm gonna get you.") After capturing the little rascal we are finally out the door headed to Laguna Beach for some PM playground, beach play, and Whole Foods shopping trip. At Whole Foods, the little troublemaker strikes again, yelling, knocking things off the shelves, and when I was checking out he hit the cancel button twice on the credit card machine. All this he thought was very hilarious. Then once at home again, he beat me to the groceries and wanted to help unpack. However, his way of unpacking was throwing everything out of the bags, taking little bites out of each of the avocados, and taking off with the bread while I once again chased after him! Poor baby Jax is already getting a workout in his mommy's tummy as I race after his big bro. Hope he get's back at him for this! Ha! Lesson learned after this long day? Every bitty thing is a power struggle for this headstrong toddler, and the trick is to get him to think he is winning! That's where reverse psychology comes into play.....oh and to Taji "no" means "yes", so I'm trying to take a different approach like redirecting and distracting instead! Ah, never a dull moment with our little rascal, and even after his yelling, his power struggles, and throwing things at me, I am still putty in his hand! We are fortunate he doesn't tantrum, and is really good about using his words and saying "all done" or "help." No matter how much he makes me chase after him or how loud his voice can be in public, my tired and sometimes impatient heart melts with every one of his mischievious giggles! And when he is tucked into bed and asleep peacefully for the night, and I am finally able to take a breath, relax, and focus on baby Jax, I can't help but look forward to what kind of trouble he will get into the next day and funny stories like this i will cherish and share with him when he is older!