The threes

The terrible twos for Grayson started when he was about 14 months old.  You know how it begins...resisting the high chair, throwing their bottles in public, squealing at the top of their lungs, wanting to roam anywhere and everywhere, the rebellious tantrums.  Yep, it's a tough time for sure.

The terrible twos didn't end for Grayson until about 6 months ago.  About when he turned three.

Rewind a few years.

I can remember that feeling of nervousness as I drove to the store to pick up a few groceries, or when I would have a lunch date with a friend, and Grayson was right there, in the midst of his terrible-twoness.  I would get embarrassed and frustrated.  I would feel like a failure as a mother.  I would get down right discouraged.  Grayson was a tough child, but what child doesn't have his moments at that age?

The crazy thing is, everyone kept saying that the threes were even worse.  I thought to myself, "worse?"

How could it get any worse than this?  

As it turns out, they were wrong.  The threes have been awesome to us.  He's done a complete 180.  Grayson has matured in ways that never cease to amaze us each and every day.  He has such good manners, he shows compassion, and is a very helpful big brother.  Not to mention his personality.  He is funny, caring, quirky, silly, thoughtful, creative, kind, and still stubborn at times.  But there are no more throw-himself-down-on-the-floor-in-the-middle-of-the-grocery-store tantrums.

This realization occurred to me Friday night when Jamie and I took Grayson to see The Lorax.  We've tried to take Grayson to a few movies when he was a bit younger, but would always end up leaving early.

  

But that night, I couldn't help but soak up this little man he has become.  I kept staring at him in his little hat and orange glasses, and smiled so hard because he would actually laugh out loud at the funny parts.  I would lean over and he would lay the biggest kiss on my lips.  He had his little cup of popcorn, Skittles, and Sprite {one of the few times I'll allow it}, and he was the happiest kid in the world.  I was the happiest mommy.

So, don't get discouraged during the stage of the terrible twos.  It will end.  No matter how early it begins.

I took him with me to Lowe's this weekend all by myself and he was a perfect little gentleman...even if we do have to sit on every tractor in the store first:)

We took little Sloan to her 1-year check-up the other day.  She checked out perfectly, and was in the 85th percentile in both height and weight.  Her appointment was right during nap time, so she was a little cranky, and a lot wiggly.  As the doctor was trying to hold her down to check her ears and throat, he looked up at us and said,"Whew...she's going to be a terrible two."

And so it begins again!