Not Another One!

It seems we have another toddler on the loose in our house.

Proof:
1. an obsession with sand and water and their combination






2. a need to tear open and empty every cupboard possible


3. an unstoppable urge to climb every climbable object
4. a refusal to leave electronic gadgets unexamined
5. an inability to sit still, whether on a lap or in someone's arms.

Yikes, the proof is irrefutable - Isabella is becoming a toddler! She's going to be 1 on Saturday and she's showing all the classic symptoms. When I found her standing on the widowsill last week, looking out excitedly at the flowers in the front yard, I knew I was in for it. I've had to start keeping my bathroom door closed or I routinely hear the splish splash of a little hand in the toilet. Life as we know it will never be the same again. I have to say, though, I'm loving it. She is so full of life and joy. It makes me happy to watch her, even if I'm sooo sick of washing toilet water (and other unmentionables) off her hands!





As for Benjamin, we are in another round of defiance. This week his chosen defiance method is refusal to nap. We've had these before and I'd be willing to give up nap time if I wasn't so absolutely sure that he really needed them. Here he is after fighting me for an hour, insisting that he wasn't tired.


I think this picture of him, proudly sitting on the tractor - behind the rope intended to keep people off, and next to the red and white sticker that says "please keep off" is the perfect symbol of what we're going through. Alas, it's not the first time, and it won't be the last.