H-Bomb- No

'No' is definitely the H-bomb's favorite word right now. I don't even think she knows the word 'Yes'. She answers any question I ask her from 'do you want ice cream?' to ' do you want me to change your diaper?' with a definitive 'No!' Sometimes I'll even come in from another room to hear her whispering it to herself 'no,no,no,no'- just practicing for an opportunity to use this very powerful word! Unfortunately, this love of 'no' doesn't just stop at word. It includes a host of resistant behaviors such as screaming, crying and going boneless (my personal favorite). Oh yes, we have arrived at toddlerhood!

Developmentally, she seems to be progressing right on track. She can say at least ten words and she can sign even more. I actually can't wait till her verbal ability improves because I know it is difficult for her to communicate right now and that basically fuels her frustration-which results of course in tantrums. Also, she is becoming increasingly agile and has a ton of energy. So lately, I have been taking her to the playground in the morning and evening so she can 'exercise'. This is basically a hold over from a dog training class M took with Indy where they stressed the importance of providing your dog exercise before discipline. Basically they went around chanting 'Exercise! Discipline! Affection!' to remind themselves of the proper behavioral sequence. To me it seems like it would work for a toddler too. I mean I can't really expect the H-bomb to sit quietly or be cordial if she hasn't been properly exercised, right?

Of course toddlerhood is not all bad..it also comes with a host of cute behaviors. For example, the H-bomb is now greeting our neighbors with a friendly hi and a wave. She is also doing things that are much more directed like trying to put on shoes or place things into bags so she can carry them around. It makes me smile and look at M and say things like 'Oh, she's finally human!(from an anthropological perspective)'.