Micah is Missing

Or at least the "old" Micah...my sweet angel of a child. Not that he's that bad but since he turned 2, he is a different child. All my old tricks aren't working! He's taken to throwing tantrums & testing every limit. His big thing right now is spitting. He does it because he thinks it's funny, & he also likes to do it when he's angry. He also likes to hit when he's angry. Not people, but any objects in his way. He throws anything in sight. Of course I'm not helping matters. I haven't been feeling great the past few weeks because "little brother" is starting to cut off my oxygen & cause indigestion & reflux all the time now. So my fuse has been shorter than normal.

I know all this is pretty normal for his age, but I feel all my "expertise" has flown out the window! I don't work with kids Micah's age normally anyway, but I'm giving myself a hard time because I feel like I, of all people, should know what to do. We attempted time out in the high chair per his pediatrician, but I don't really think he understands the concept yet so it's more torture than anything. So, now we're trying a different kind of time out where he & I take a break together, sit & breathe or recite the ABCs or some other quiet, calming activity. It seems to help redirect him at least. We're also just trying to ignore a lot of the less dangerous behavior, which is difficult for me because his screaming grates on my last nerve! And we're trying to teach him to hit a pillow when he's angry if he needs to hit something.

Last year, right after his first birthday, he transformed as well. He decided he wasn't going to go to sleep easily anymore & would scream for an hour or more before finally giving up. This was while Joe was gone. But I was firm & didn't pick him up, and it only lasted for a week. The worst week of my life but only a week :) So, even though I know he's just being a typical 2 year old & he'll always have his days, I'm hoping if we're consistent we can at least get some of the behavior under control particularly before the baby arrives since that will probably make it worse :) No matter, he's still my little cuddle bug & I can't imagine life any differently, tantrums and all.

What a Little Ham

I asked Micah to smile for a picture. This is what I got.

Micah was helping Joe water some plants the other day. This is what he looked like when it was all done.

You can't really appreciate just how wet he was from this picture, but he was soaked! He decided it would be fun to run through the waterhose while Joe watered a tree. He had a blast!

Big Boy Bed

When we returned from the beach, Joe & I decided to get Micah a twin size bed & move his furniture to the now nursery. We had originally planned to paint our guest room furniture & give it to Micah, but the bed was full size & we agreed that it would take up too much room in this tiny bedroom. So, we found a cheap but cute bed & dresser at Walmart & set everything up. Micah has been sleeping in his "big boy bed" for a week now, and he absolutely LOVES it! The first couple of nights were really easy. We pushed the bed against a wall & put a rail on the other side so I don't think he quite realized he was able to get out. Now he's figured out that he can so he likes to stand on the end of his bed, turn the light on, & open the door a few times before he finally settles down for bed. So far, it's not been that difficult, but I know as he gets older he'll probably get up 500 times making every excuse he can to not go to sleep. Then again, he's always loved his sleep (just like his mom) so we're prepared but he may surprise us after all.

Testing out the new mattress

Testing out the completed bed

View of completed room