Linnaeus 2.4

Refusing to pose for a photo at Got Craft!

Okay, I'm calling it. Sprout has officially hit the 'Terrible Twos'. Nothing else can explain the occasional bouts of shrieking (aka my pet pterodactyl), the sudden bolting when out in public, his propensity to refuse things when he actually wants them & (how could I forget?) the epic pouty-faced whining. My previously happy, calm, easygoing toddler has now become the one that earns us looks of judgement or sympathy when we take him out in public.

It's officially time for a readjustment of our expectations. Yesterday, we brought him to Got Craft! to volunteer for Modo. All three of use were wearing our Modo t-shirts & we did get the chance to talk to a few people about car sharing. However, it was a lot less fun than it used to be when we didn't have to prevent our child from running headlong at large dogs, screeching when either of us went to go do something & cleaning crumbs off of everything. I think our future volunteer work is going to have to happen Sproutless.

This is what generally happens when naps are attempted.

Sprout still really likes going places, whether by bike, transit, walking or car. Getting a helmet &/or harness on him is easy. As long as we're moving or he's engaged in what we're doing, he's fine. So I can still take him shopping for groceries or quick errands, but long gone are the days of browsing books or clothing. The fact that he's mostly dropped his nap means I haven't got a deadline to worry about getting him home to sleep. Unfortunately, he does sometimes get a little meltdown-prone in the afternoon around the time that he used to nap so I often end up coming home then anyway. I've mostly stopped trying to get him to nap, as he just won't fall asleep unless he didn't have enough the night before & even then, it tends to happen dangerously late, which then pushes his bedtime to ridiculous o'clock.

Helping with the shopping.

The good side to the 'Terrible Twos' is the new found abilities that are coming with it. The constant "No" all the time is annoying, but I suspect it's merely him asserting his independence. He's getting every more capable of day-to-day things, like taking off his jacket & hanging it up on the hook or helping me with little chores like putting things in the laundry basket or garbage. He's been very helpful with laundry & filling up the bird feeder in the last month, actually.

His language skills are getting to be conversational. He's now starting to reply appropriately when asked questions by strangers & people he knows but doesn't see that often. He's also picked up a lot of songs recently & constantly sings bits of Christmas carols, including some in German, like 'Oh Time-in-baum'. Bonus points if you can name the actual title of that one.

Mandarin oranges: 10+ minutes of me time!

I also recently realized that Sprout is actually quite good at drinking from a regular cup. It's kind of exciting when I make a pot of tea & get two mugs out of the cupboard for us. Seeing him peel mandarin oranges is also awesome, though I have to admit, I don't really watch, I use the minutes I know he'll be gainfully occupied to do something else.

All in all, despite the challenges, it's been a fun month. If I hadn't already learned it by now, this past few weeks would really have hammered it home that with children, the only constant is change.



Nothing says “best gift ever” like a gray fox!
 

Starting at just $40, Gifts of Canadian Nature help protect habitat for Canada’s native wildlife. A Gift of Canadian Nature lasts for years to come and is a gift that gives thrice! Once to the recipient with a personalized certificate and a beautiful calendar, once to the giver with a charitable tax receipt, and once to Canadian wildlife. This year we are featuring the snowy owl, the grizzly bear, the caribou, the gray fox and the Canada lynx. Click the image or follow this link for more information.