Princess Madeleine

2 years old is such an interesting age. One minute she is iron-willed and incredibly defiant, the next she wants to cuddle and pretend that she's a baby.

New skills include:
-Shouting "No!" More times in a day than I ever thought possible
-Conjuring up tears so she can get sympathy from her Daddy
-Opening doors, which means nap time and bed time are optional in her mind
-Making Asher on the receiving end of physical torment (for once)
-Running away very fast if I let her walk in stores (hence the new stroller)
-Taking off all of her clothes and running around the house naked indoors and out.
-At various times of the day, she is a puppy, kitten, baby, or princess and she demands that we treat her that way.

Madeleine was seriously the most docile child on the face of the planet until right before her second birthday. Now, she is a force to be reckoned with. She has such a wild imagination and a penchant for the dramatic. The other day, she fell off of a chair, but landed on some soft bedding and I asked her if she was hurt and she wailed "Nooooo". Then I asked her if she was scared and she wailed "I'm scared of spiders!"

It's nice with your second child because I can recognize Maddie's terrible two's for the temporary stage that she's in. It makes it easier to find humor in her reign of terror, and I know that she'll be my sweet Madeleine again when she has finally convinced herself and us that she is her own individual with her own feelings and needs. Then, it will start all over again when she's 12 (shudder).