"i'm TWOOOOO!" - hana at 2 years

we are a little late on this but this year, we held hana's birthday party at gymboree again. it was a great party again this year. sadly, i forgot to do things like make goody bags or have party favors of any kind, but hopefully, the kids didn't miss it. the party was a lot bigger this year since there were 15 kids this time, compared to last year's 5. there were a mixture of the cousins, a couple of mom's group friends and quite a few friends from ms. leona's, and a few various and sundry others. the kids really had a great time... so much so that there was a collective meltdown at the end becuase they didn't want to go - hana included. when it's your child, you're embarrased and irritated. but when it's everyone's child - then it's just plain funny. i mean what are you gonna do?

hana didn't take long to start really showing us her terrible twos. she has suddenly decided that things she was totally into one day, she's utterly against the next. for example, bath time, grilled cheese sandwhiches, wearing her white sneakers, sitting on the potty, eating large and complete meals were all things that she willingly, if not gleefully, participated in. now, not so much. we are instead greeted with responses ranging from "um, no." to the more whiney "no waaan' it" to full on you-won't-take-me-alive style temper tantrums that include such gems as "'top it!" (for stop it) and "let go!" and then she has the audacity to insist on occaision "say sorry, mommy" for putting her through the torture of a diaper change. it's especially fun when she's whining "'top it, let go mommy!" in the grocery store, as if to suggest to the general public that i am somehow endangering her by putting her in the shopping cart.

she is also getting quite good at her fake cry: scrunched up face, pathetic wail... no tears. and then i remind her, "uh oh hana, there's no tears coming out. you've got to squeeze harder!" although she is clearly not amused by this, she often stops to ponder this, as if to say "oh yeah, tears!" and sometimes, she just moves on to the next thing.

fortunately, she is pretty easy to redirect if we grown ups are not super tired. she can often be plied with a chastisement whilst being cuddled. sometimes, singing one of her favorite songs ("row, row, row your boat", "the wheels on the bus", "if you're happy and you know it..." or "jingle bells") will change her mind about just how commited she is to having a tantrum. another strategy that seems to work sometimes is if i pick up one of her toys - say, this new awesome microphone that she got for christmas - and start playing with is as if it is the best toy in the house. and then she insists "that's MINE!" and i hand it to her (after i make her say please) and then she's all about playing with that toy. i don't know how long that trick will last but everytime i do it, i feel like i have won one for the mommies.