stinker

declan really has always been a happy, joyful baby so i don't want to dwell on the negative, but WOW, what a strong-willed boy he is becoming! the smallest things (or sometimes nothing at all) set him off into screaming, crying, intense tantrums where he clenches his fists and falls to his knees in full drama. these episodes can last up to ten minutes depending on how long i feel like listening.

our pediatrician who is fabulous and i implicitly trust, advises to stay nearby but just let him work out his emotions on his own, interfering to distract him typically has the opposite effect. it is amazing, sometimes he will eventually just pick himself up and move on to a new activity like he didn't just let hell break loose on me.

it is worth mentioning, my dad said that my parents had a copy of the book "Raising the Strong-Willed Child" (and it wasn't for my brother). so the apple is not falling far from this tree. i wonder if the book is still laying around in the attic somewhere...

here are some common scenarios which instigate fits:
keeping him away from the hot grill
keeping him away from things cooking on the hot stove
limiting his play on the stairs as he hangs on the spindles like a monkey (he could do this for hours)
not reloading his toothbrush with toothpaste after a second or third time
not letting him play (or get crushed) in the automatic door at Trader Joe's
not letting him hold the glass jar of tomato sauce at Trader Joe's
limiting his hand washing sessions to 5 minutes (as he sprays water everywhere in our powder room)
telling him not to lick the diaper champ
i know - we are so mean!

just a couple of pictures from our lovely, fun-filled weekend! it really was fun which is why i don't understand the tears! tim and i have gone from trying to curb the tantrums to rolling our eyes, the old pros that we are!


because i took him out of his stroller for a picture with mama

rough life, dinner and coloring out on his new picnic table on a beautiful day