MINE!!!!

so here we go.  avery has learned the word "mine!!".  so i guess this is where the terrible twos i've heard so much about over the years kick in?  i've been saying how much fun she is (because she really really is) and how fortunate we were because we had such a mellow little baby girl but wow we're kicking up quite an attitude now!  we're also loving the word "no!!!!".  i know, and have known for a while, that discipline for her is going to be tough.  not because I'll have a hard time giving it to her when she deserves it, but because i'll have a hard time establishing if she truly "deserves" it, and if she'll understand what she's being disciplined for.  time-outs didn't seem to work with her.  she'd sit there quietly and if you asked her if she wanted to go to time-out, you'd get "ok" as your answer.  so i've decided to go the "naughty chair" route in the corner.  and oh boy....she HATES it.  so i guess that is good?  today her cousins were over and she spent lots of quality time in the naughty chair for not sharing and trying to take her toys away from austin.  i know all of this is textbook 2 year old stuff.  she has no concept of others at this age, only herself.  her mood swings are like nothing i've ever seen before. totally at peace one second, and screaming the next instant. for what?  who knows.  again, textbook 2 year old.  i think at this point, derek and i both have permanent hearing loss from the screams that come out of this adorable little thing.  i can tell she gets so frustrated because she knows exactly what she wants, and can't find the words to tell me although we're getting better about that.  so it will just result in a whine, a yell, or a cry.  and for the love of God do not tell her that she can't have something she wants!  look out!  she is still my little baby sometimes and loves to cuddle and be held.  she's really taken up affection to her baby dolls and stuffed animals and it's so sweet to see her take care of them (she picks them up and says how I say to her when she gets hurt "awww...it's okay.  you're fine.  shhhh....it's okay now...".  so freaking cute.  and then she's onto the next thing and totally independent, not wanting a thing to do with me.  i've read that toddlers are all a little ADHD.  sure they are, if you want to even label it as that.  or you could just call it "being a toddler" because it seems in some regards there are some commonalities.  i can hardly wait to see what she's like at the end of this year.  when she's about to turn 3.  and see what she's picked up on.  challenges lie ahead...i got her off of her pacifier addiction, and next up will be potty training and a big girl bed transition.  all in time and i'm in no rush because this has already flown by.

so much for being a regular...

so 1.5 years later I'm re-trying this.  Avery is 2 now..somehow that has gone by faster than i ever would've guessed.  i've learned so much from her and i absolutely adore being her mommy.  she hit all of her milestones in stride and still wows me with how smart she is and how much she's learning!  she talks all the time and i can understand more of it all the time.  her new favorite word right now is "toot" which is hilarious.  i would estimate she easily knows 50 words at this point and is getting better about using them appropriately.  i just can't get over how much she's changed so quickly!  I remember her birth like it was yesterday!