And this too shall pass. . .

I am the mother of a 2 year old.  A very happy, animated, curious and BUSY 2 year old.  I'm writing this post so I can remember all of the crazy stuff I do everyday.  I know it won't last forever, even though it feels like it will.  I hope to get a good chuckle out of this in the future because right now I'm in survival mode.

 

This is a very typical morning mess. Cheerios ALL over the floor.  An entire box full, just in case you were wondering.

 

Jameson is willing to "help" cleanup which only means he pushes everything around and makes an even bigger mess.

We have learned to try and move as slowly as possible when we see him with something that he shouldn't have.  If we call attention to ourselves and he knows we are after what he has he will hurry and make as big of a mess as he can before you can get to him.   If it's a box of cereal he will hurry and dump it all out before you can get it.  If he has a marker he will write on something as quickly as possible--like the wall.

Jameson likes to be on the kitchen counters.  Everything interesting is always on the counter so why shouldn't he be, too?  We took our bar stools out of the kitchen a year ago, but now he has figured out how to get on the counter tops without any help at all.

This kid is a climber with a capital C.  When I'm in the kitchen the majority of my time is spent keeping him off of the counter, out of the fridge (which he can open without a problem), out of the pantry and out of the sink.  I don't just have to keep my lower cabinets tied up, I also have to keep my upper cabinets tied up!  He has gotten into my essential oils (which are located high up in the upper cabinets) several times.  It wouldn't be so bad except that he also knows how to twist them open and dump a little on himself or the counter top.

He believes it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission.  If he wants something, he will go after it--end of story.

He enjoys spraying the entire kitchen with the sink sprayer.

He likes to climb in the fridge and pantry to look for yummy treats.

He loves to get out all of our music CD's and distribute them around the main floor of our house.

He loves to push every button on the computer until things happen that we don't know how to fix.

Ask me how fun it is to try and make dinner while I'm trying to keep him from all of these things.  And since he doesn't like to be told no and be removed from a situation he has perfected the art of the 2 year old tantrum. 

Perfect place to relax and try and get his banana open, don't you think?  Was he successful? Yep. He's got skills.

 

 When I'm upstairs trying to get ready for the day he stays busy by going through all of my bathroom drawers and throwing everything on the floor OR making a mess with it.  One day he had mascara all over his skin and clothing, another day he had lipstick all over his face.  The list of things in my bathroom drawers that he can play with is extremely small so when he opens up the drawer while I'm in the shower I know it isn't going to be good.  Another favorite bathroom pastime is turning on the water in the bathtub.  Yes, even after all this time it is still a favorite.  If I had a nickel for every time I've had to turn the water off, I would be a very rich woman indeed.

 

Going out on errands is always an adventure.  When I open the door to get him into the car he makes a mad dash for his little tricycle and is out of the garage and out on the driveway in no time at all.  I've often had to chase him around the cul-de-sac and tear the tricycle handlebars from his tightly gripped hands all while he is screaming and kicking just to get him in his car seat.  If my neighbors have ever seen this played out I'm sure it has made them smile. It is quite a sight. I wish it only happened every once in awhile, but these days it happens more and more often.  I really try to carry him directly from the house to the car, but sometimes when he sees me getting my coat on he goes to the door and is out before I know it. Spring cannot come fast enough for this little guy.

 

He loves to pull out ALL of the books from the bookshelf.

 

He loves to dump out ALL of his toys first and then look to see what he wants to play with later.

 

He loves to throw things over the balcony onto the floor below.

 

He usually has to have his clothes changed at least twice a day- mostly because they are wet.  So many ways to get his clothes wet, so little time.

 

I could go one and on since this is only a portion of what I go through on a typical day.  Fortunately for me he is a great napper and it is not uncommon for him to take a 2 1/2 to 3 hr nap. I'm not sure what I would do without this time to get the house back together and get something done!

 

He loves to bat his eyelashes and give me hugs.

 

He loves to dance when music is playing.

 

Whenever he does anything he always looks at me with this excited look on his face that says, "Look what I just did?  Isn't it awesome!"

 

You can hear his laugh from all over the house.

 

Yes, I have a 2 year old.  I've survived it before, I'm sure I'll survive it again.  Of course, I've never had a 2 year old quite like Jameson so I may be  little worse for the wear when all is said and done. :-)