Holy moly Bees.  We have a two-year-old on our hands over here.  Nearly 30 pounds, three feet tall and pure toddler.

Colin’s early rising tendencies continue to drive me bonkers, but he is consistently getting 10.5 – 11.5 hours of nighttime sleep, and at least two hours of sleep during nap time.  In the past few weeks, we have finally been able to push his nap time past noon to about 12:30 p.m., which has allowed for longer, more adventurous fun in the mornings.  Eating habits continue to remain to same – selective finickiness, wish-washy opinions of various foods, etc. (He loves cheese.  He hates cheese.  I don’t even know anymore. Whatever kid, more cheese for mommy.)

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Finally, finally, finally, the weather in our neck of the woods has improved, and we are officially in “park season.”  It is so incredible watching Colin navigate the play equipment as a “big kid” – climbing and sliding and exploring without the need for me to hover in any way.  He has a keen sense of what is safe for him – he stays away from the ledges that give me a heart attack and loves to “drive the bus” with the steering wheels attached to the equipment.  He has also discovered a true love for the sandbox and his brand new water table. I have a feeling we will be spending A LOT of time outdoors in the months to come.

One thing that toddlerhood has brought into our lives that is truly intriguing is that Colin’s interests are really starting to shine through as his personality blossoms.  Colin has always been a sports fan, and he comes by it honestly from his dad.  But while his football obsession was a clear mirroring of his father’s interests, his baseball obsession is all his own. Suffice it to say that Colin’s life revolves around our nation’s pastime.  It’s all we talk about/read about/play/watch.  We have gone to three games this season already (with $10 scalped tickets, usually arriving at the top of the 4th after nap time).  He gets so excited when he sees a Cubs logo around town, whether it’s on a bumper sticker, a flag or a newspaper.  While there are days I think I might die if I have to discuss “the baseball game” one more time, it really is so adorable.


“Reading” the sports page….seriously kid?

Finally, the tantrums.  Interestingly enough, Colin has surprised me with his ability to take the tantrums to the next level.  This kid knows how t o throw down – his decibel level has increased, the attitude in his voice is emerging, and the stomping has been added.  Instead of “mine!”, it is now “MIIIIIIIIIINE!!!!!”  We hear lots of “I won’t”s and “I can’t”s and “I don’t want to”s, and I am working hard with Colin to name his feelings, from angry to sad to frustrated.  These help, because I can come down to his level and say, “Colin, I can see you are feeling frustrated because I told you that ___*you can’t do this irrational thing*___.  I’m sorry you feel that way, but __*this is how it goes…tough sh*t kiddo*___.” 

Strangely enough, because Colin is demonstrating increased comprehension of emotions and is verbalizing his frustrations more, I am finding myself a bit more patient with his tantrums.  And I find that the more patient I am when handling them, the easier they blow over.  When I get more frustrated, he feeds off of my angry energy and things tend to snowball.

Overall, Colin is really a gem of a two year old.  Mr. Confetti and I truly feel like we have won the lottery when it comes to amazing children.  As challenging as he can be sometimes, he is sweet, affectionate, smart, inquisitive and so much fun.