Terrible Two's?!?!

I've been thinking a lot lately about the phrase "terrible two's". You know, when Onna was first born, I was so scared for her to grow up. I wanted her to stay a tiny baby for as long as possible. About ten days ago, Onna officially reached her "half birthday". Now she is closer to three years old than two! I sat on the couch yesterday and watched her while she napped. I looked at her face, and her arms and legs, and realized that she really is not a baby or even a toddler any more, she really has turned into a little girl.

I thought about the last two and a half years, and even though I treasure the times that we've had together, I wouldn't trade the little girl that I have now, for the baby that I had then. She and I have such a close bond. (Not that we don't butt heads now and then, well okay fairly often!) She can communicate so well now. We have real conversations. She can tell me about her day. She can let me know what's bothering her, or what she needs. She can tell me if something hurts, or sometimes she just wants to say, "You're a good Mommy!"

In my opinion the age from 1 year to two years old was definitely more challenging than this year has been. Not that there hasn't been things to work through this year, but last year was
SO much harder. I think it helps that she can talk this year, and I can reason with her a little bit more. She can understand consequences a little bit, and she knows our routine better.

Like I said, we still have challenges. For example, the other day she decided that she didn't want what I'd made for lunch, so she threw her bowl on the floor. Apparently it didn't spill as much as she wanted it to, so she climbed down out of her chair, walked over to the bowl, picked it up and dumped it upside down some more. After I scolded her and put her in time out. I began cleaning it up. She stood in time out, and kept pointing to different spots on the floor and saying to me, "You missed some there Mom!" I tell you what, counting to 10 in my head was not enough to keep my self control. I had to leave the room several times and count to about 500 before I could come back in! We were planning on going swimming that day, but instead we stayed home and we BOTH took naps. I think that was a good idea!

Anyway, I just wanted to share that in my opinion the Terrible Two's haven't been so Terrible after all!