Joys of Motherhood #3

**Disclaimer: Brian is an amazing 17-month-old, who brings so much joy and love into our lives.  I love him so much and he truly is a good kid with a kind heart. I love being a mommy, and I consider myself incredibly lucky to be Brian's mommy.  He is so much fun, so smart, so happy and has the most amazing little personality. I don't want you to think that I only blog about the "not so fun" things about parenting, because for every one thing that isn't fun about being a mom, you get rewarded with 10 amazing things. So... with that said...**

The Terrible Twos.  Or, in my case, the Terrible-Twos-7-Months-Too-Early.  I swear Brian is going through them right now.  For the past week or two, it has been a serious battle of the wills in this household.  "No" means "Yes" to him; and he pushes every limit and boundary. I know every mom can relate to this.  He knows what he wants, and when he wants it. Brian has been "passionate" since birth.  He has quite a strong personality, and it is balanced out by his sweet, loving nature.  He has always liked to be heard - always babbling, talking, telling stories and laughing.  But now, he wants to be HEARD.  I keep telling myself "it's a phase, he'll outgrow it" and I truly believe that.  However, that doesn't make going through it any easier.  Tantrums have increased, "screeching" now happens (not screaming - he sounds like a possessed pterodactyl when he screeches LOL - it's actually pretty funny when you hear it), and taking him to stores any more has become an intimidating task.  It's really, really hard right now, because he's learning how to communicate, and I am learning how to communicate with him.  His form of communicating right now... well, is a screech. Lovely. (p.s. the picture below isn't him, but paints a good picture of what it's like! hahaha)

I try to keep my composure and try to ignore his tantrums.  I do my very best.  But, yesterday, I reached out for help -- and I'm so glad that I did!  I dropped Brian off in the morning at my parents' house and he stayed all day and night there.  I had a "me" day. I went shopping, got some coffee and took my time doing everything I wanted.  I even got to take a long, hot shower - and was able to spend some time drying my hair and fixing it (a luxury these days).  I got to plop on the couch, put my feet up and read some magazines and watch mindless TV.  I got to have a date night with Vahe, with no time-restrictions or worrying about what Brian was doing.  I had a couple of drinks at dinner and was relaxed. As relaxed as I have been in a while.  It was a beautiful night out last night, and we were able to open all of the windows and enjoy the breeze... in silence.  No screeching, no tantrums, no banging the cabinets... just silence.  Don't get me wrong, I missed Brian. I always miss him when I am away from him.  But, it was nice to have a break.  It's sometimes hard to admit when you need help or a break, but when you do... wow is the payoff nice!  I even got to get up this morning to the cool, crisp breeze coming through the windows, drinking my coffee and watching the Today show.  I felt like this...

SNAP! Back to reality.  So, my mini staycation is over. I do feel rejuvenated and relaxed. I know that this is a phase, and it will pass. I know I will get my sweet boy back.  He's in there... just playing hide-n-seek with me right now.  I love Brian more than life itself, and I will continue to do my absolute best to get us all through this.  I googled "terrible twos" just to see if there was any info on things that I could do to make life a little easier for all of us (other than just ignoring him)... and this "Terrible Twos Calculator" popped up.  So, for shits and giggles, I plugged Brian's birthdate into the calculator and this is what the lovely calculator told me.  Who's got the wine?!?!

Brian was born on March 24, 2009 and is 1 years and 5 months old. You have 575 days - 11 hours - 50 minutes - and 40 seconds  until your child is out of the terrible twos phase.