Terrible Twos Preview Continues

Today was another "tough" day. A day when Natalie's whine-reflect was seriously acute. A day when my patience was at an all-time low. A day when I found myself thinking is she teething? Is she turning into the typical two-year old right before my eyes and frayed nerves?

Our day started earlier than I would've liked. I was called in twice last night to retrieve the binky; something I haven't had to do a lot of lately. And I found myself feeling frustrated and resentful and well, angry ... I think I even spouted some profanity at my husband, and/or no one in particular, after the second time at 5:30 am. I am not sure if she ever fell back to sleep after that. She was quiet, but I never heard her fall into her "Darth Vader" breathing pattern. I know because I was half awake until we finally got out of bed at 7:15.

By 11:00, and just in time for swim lessons, Natalie was saying, "nigh-night" and asking for her binky. That's never a good sign. We made it through the 30-minute lesson, but Natalie didn't get to try going underwater because she was so fussy. The instructor made the decision to wait for a "happier day" rather than traumatize her with a dunking. Yeah, this mom definitely agreed.

Getting dried off and out of that chaotic locker room was a big cry-fest. Getting home and out of the car was a big cry-fest. Eating a full lunch wasn't an option. Instead, I quickly appeased her with a smoothie, whisked her upstairs, gave her a rinse-off, and put her to bed - earlier than normal but we were both so relieved.

Thankfully, after her nap she was a much happier little girl. She looked at and named all of her Sesame Street cards (and threw them all over the floor but also helped pick them up), we read books and shared a snack, and she was happy to entertain herself while I prepped dinner. Ah, it was so good to have my sweet Natalie back for a few hours.

Yes, the Terrible Twos Preview Continues ... but at least it's only in small, manageable doses.

After re-reading this post, I find myself wondering if Natalie's "off-kilter" behavior has something to do with the swim lessons ... more than her upcoming birthday ... or perhaps it's a combination of the two? Also, her nose is also running like crazy, and I am suspecting a chlorine reaction/allergy because I remember my brother Randy always had this awful runny nose after swimming. Maybe it's worth a visit to the doctor's office tomorrow ... just to rule out illness.