I have learned that toddlerhood is not just an uphill battle. There are moments when you are struggling to make it up the mountain, but then there are times you get to go down into a valley or canyon. And then there are times you can simply hike along the bottom of that valley or canyon and just enjoy the scenery around you before you have to start making your way back up. Last week was a treacherous hike uphill, while this week was a leisurely stroll down into a glorious canyon!

I’m not trying to be philosophical or deep, I’m just trying to embrace what is happening and as I mentioned in my previous post, help Grayson learn through it while I’m learning as well.

So much happened this past week I really could have blogged each and every day about it, but we were so busy, I simply didn’t have the time. Not to mention that our Internet went out on us again and we’re still on dial-up so getting on-line is a frustrating experience.

Grayson was so good this past week it’s almost as if he were a completely different child, but I guess that’s the way it’s going to be. We went to two fun playgroups and he did great with the other kids. We took a trip down to Baltimore to visit Port Discovery and I don’t think I have ever seen him have so much fun. He climbed all over the jungle gym, which is three-stories tall, and generally had a blast running around. We went out to dinner with my parents on Friday night and he was an angel at the restaurant and afterward when we hung out in my parent’s backyard. He was great in the nursery at church, both during Sunday School and during the worship service. And we visited his Aunt Maria’s and Uncle Jay’s for dinner that night and he was great as he played with his cousin Paul.

Coming Down a Tube in Port Discovery - Three Stories Up

I guess I’ll just have to remind myself of these times when he’s completely disobeying me or screaming at the top of his lungs because he’s not getting his way or running around like crazy because he has more than enough energy to spare. It is what it is.

Playing on Paul's New Scooter

When Does Toddlerhood End?

This has been a challenging and emotionally draining week for me as a mother. Grayson turned twenty-one months old on Friday, but really, I think he's been in his terrible two stage since he turned one. The highlights of the week?? Let's see...Tuesday morning he learned to move a chair to our sliding glass door, climb up, unlock the door, open it and then run outside; that afternoon we had to leave our adoptive families playgroup early because he wouldn't behave and started running all around the coffee house; Thursday he tossed his hat into the river near my sister-in-law's house - it was not retrieved; Saturday he vomited all over himself in his carseat and in my truck, what a lovely smell; and today he had to be removed from nursery at church because he was throwing toys and hitting.

I'm starting to realize I have one of "those" children. You know, the ones you see throwing temper tantrums in the grocery store because their mothers told them they couldn't have something, or the ones who steal the toys from the other kids and think it's funny, or the ones who, like Grayson, run obnoxiously around the coffee house. The ones you said your child would never be like.

I guess it's a trade off. Grayson was an excellent baby, so toddlerhood seems like it's going to be a challenge. He loves to eat anything, so instead of the child who refuses to eat his vegetables, I get the child who refuses to take a nap. He's very polite, he says "please" and "thank you," plus he takes the time to say "bless you" after someone sneezes. So I suppose the trade off there is the continual energy he seems to have, constantly running away from me when I call him, giggling all the way.

I guess I need to get myself ready for what's to come. I know toddlerhood isn't going to end any time soon, so I might as well do whatever I can to survive the ride and do what I can to help Grayson grow from his experiences during this turbulent time. Like one of my best friends always says about her daughter, these qualities may be stressful now, but that independent, strong-willed nature will serve our kids well when they are adults.

Reading is Fundamental

That's what they always say, right? Well, I'm happy to report that it seems to be becoming fundamentally important in our home.

Reading has always been important to me and it's something I greatly enjoy doing. I have always wanted my children to feel the same way. I can remember begging my mother to read to me when I was little and I always hoped I would be on the receiving end of that begging when I became a parent. This has definitely become the case, but I have also noticed that Grayson enjoys reading books by himself as well.

When he and I are home all day, I try to split our time between his playroom and his bedroom. Lately I've been encouraging him to play by himself so he's not always so dependent on me for entertainment. Most recently he has started to go in his room and close the door. I'll usually allow him his "privacy" for a few minutes and then I go in to check on him. Well, today when I checked, this is what I found:He had pulled half of his books off the shelves and had them spread out all around him. As you can see, he's enjoying a good book in the picture. After I caught him, we proceeded to read a few together. Does it get any better than this?

Lazy Summer Days

Grayson and I have been pretty busy this week, so it was nice to simply take a break today. We didn't leave the house and since it was rather hot as well, we decided to stay inside all day. This meant we did a lot of reading and playing. One of Grayson's favorite things to do is read, so he decided to sit down with a couple good books on his own. He really enjoyed reading the story to me.

The day was also spent learning to count to three; learning the colors orange, yellow, and blue; and Grayson practicing to dress himself (that's why he's not wearing any shorts in the picture). So I guess "Lazy Summer Days" isn't really the right title because even though we didn't go out, we still stayed pretty busy.