Let the temper tantrums begin...

In the past few days, Trey has seemed less and less like our sweet little baby boy, and more and more like a grown up big boy! I'm not really sure what it is, but in recent days, he has looked older and more grown up. Maybe it is the transition to a new class, or maybe it is his 2nd birthday lingering around the corner. We aren't really sure, but lately it is really hitting us that Trey is no longer a baby.

With this foray into toddlerdom comes a whole new set of challenges. There is the "I-can-do-it-myself" attitude, even when he can't quite do it himself, there is his ability to say "no" and refuse to do things when he doesn't want to do them, and let's not forget the looming challenges of potty training. But the latest challenge that we have seen in our house is the dreaded temper tantrum.

For example, last week, Mommy and Trey were home at night, and Mommy gave Trey a lovely dinner of macaroni and cheese and green beans. Trey gobbled up the macaroni and asked for more. Mommy told him he could have more if he ate some green beans. Then, all hell broke loose.

Trey did NOT want to eat green beans. In fact, he did NOT want any more macaroni. Nope. All he wanted in the whole world was a "b-b-b-bar" (read: breakfast bar). Breakfast bars are really terrible food items (if you can really even call them food) that Trey does not get to eat regularly because of their ridiculously high sugar content, but that we will sometimes give him if we are running late for school or church, Trey seems hungry, and there are no other sensible options in sight. They are only for breakfast and other emergency situations; Trey is never allowed to eat one for dinner.

So, on this day, Trey pitched a big fit for his "b-b-b-bar," and pitched an even bigger fit when Mommy would not let him have one. After about 20 minutes of this screaming, I picked up the camera in order to document to Daddy the fun we had while he was not at home.



You might think I was a little heartless for putting Trey on camera while he was having this meltdown, but keep in mind this had been going on for a while, and I was trying to stay calm, as my mother taught me to do during tantrums like this, so I thought it would be just as well to hide behind a camera.

One of the funniest parts of all of this, if humor can be found in a toddler temper tantrum, was that Trey kept trying to physically move me over to the pantry to open it and retrieve a breakfast bar, even though he is perfectly capable of opening the pantry himself, but just hasn't figured out exactly how to do it. I mean, he obviously knows where the breakfast bars are kept; they are on the bottom shelf and easy for him to get to, and if he'd had enough will he could have figured out how to open the cabinet himself.

Trey never did get his breakfast bar. But he didn't eat the green beans or anything else that night. Instead, he had a cup of milk, laid on my shoulder and cried it out, and then we got ready for bed.

It certainly would have been easier for me to give into Trey's fit, but then again, I'm trying to maintain some sense of authority in my own home. So what do you think, dear readers? Was I being too mean a mommy by not giving Trey his beloved breakfast bar? Or was I doing the right thing by holding my ground? Cast your vote in the poll to the right.

Moving up!

Trey moved to a new class at school this week! Come Monday, he will be an official member of the Toddler 1 class at Cathedral House Episcopal School. We are so sad to leave his friends and teachers in Movement 2 (including his BFF and GF Anna), but Trey is just going next door, and we know that many of his friends will follow him shortly.

All week, Trey went through the transition process to move to Toddler 1. At first, the older kids in the class called him "baby;" we were told Trey did not like this one bit! I guess it is official, especially now that there is a new baby in the family -- Trey is a certified big boy!

Toddler 1 is much more like preschool than Trey's former classes. Here are some of the changes Trey will see in his new class:

• The class is much more structured, with real activity stations that kids focus on at various points during the day. They are no longer able to run around as they please, doing whatever activity suits them. This method in Toddler 1 isn't necessarily the most traditional Montessori approach, but we're perfectly happy with Montessori work in a slightly more structured environment.
• The children set the table for meals and eat family-style. They each pass the family serving of food and help themselves put a portion onto their own plate. They wait patiently for everyone to be served before saying a blessing and eating.
• Toddler 1 introduces potty training! We are especially excited about this. Ms. Patricia, the lead teacher, is so good about working with the kids to get them ready. We're not necessarily very excited for the process, but we're quite anxious for the end result.
• The children have actual lessons that they must master before graduating to the next class. The children graduate only based on merit, not based on age. Most girls advance to the next class more quickly than the boys.
• Sippy cups are not allowed in class. Good thing they can't see what we do at home...
• The class focuses much more on language and communication. Ms. Patricia teaches the children lots of Spanish. Mommy better brush up on her old Spanish vocabulary!

Toddler 1 will surely bring lots of other changes as well that we just don't know about yet. After looking back and realizing how much Trey learned in his last class and how far he has come, we are very excited for this next adventure and all the new challenges it will bring!

Full set of teeth

Trey now has a full set of teeth! Mommy noticed the last molar last night.

Cousin for Trey!

For the past 23 months, Trey has been asking repeatedly for a cousin in West Virginia. Well, Trey finally got his wish! Trey's first cousin, a boy, was born earlier today. Patrick Clifford Graney V was born at 2:22 p.m., weighing in at 7 pounds and measuring 20 inches. Aunt Dabney was in labor for about 14 hours before the doctor decided she wasn't progressing and Baby Graney would have to be delivered via c-section. The result was a healthy baby BOY!

Trey is so excited about his "baby" cousin, born to "Dabney," "P," and the "woof," "June," and can't wait to get on an "airplane" in 10 days to go visit them!

Who needs toys? (part 2)

I promise, this was all Trey. He likes to dig around in our bathroom cabinets, which are not baby-proofed (not that it would do us much good), and he found this shower cap and somehow knew exactly how to put it on.

The hot roller clips were a nice accessory.

And yes, we realize this is not the safest "toy" Trey could have chosen to play with. But we promise we were keeping four eyes on him at all times. :)

Counting

Trey can now count all the way to 10! We've always "practice" counting with him in his books, and I guess somewhere along the way he picked it up. He now loves to count whenever there are "two" things in his books ("two" = more than one!).

Happy New Year

Happy New Year friends and family!!

Trey spent New Year's Eve cuddled up with his favorite older woman (other than Mommy). :)