BIG EMOTIONS

A couple weeks ago, I was meant to buy creamed corn but accidentally bought normal canned corn. Hayley realized this in the middle of cooking corn pudding. So I took Little Buddy with me to Publix to exchange the cans.

We both take him to Publix a lot. He likes riding around in the cart and getting to eat the bits of deli meat, and at least three different people will stop to compliment his hair every time we go.

I hadn't realized to what extent he'd already internalized the routine, though. Since we were just exchanging three cans, we didn't need a cart... but when we passed the carts, he pulled me in that direction, and resisted all my attempts to redirect. I had to pick him up because I was certain he was going to yank himself off my hand so hard he'd fall over.

At 25+ pounds, he's a heavy guy to hold while standing in a slow customer service line.

When we were done, we started heading out. I had put him down again, and he resisted my attempts to lead him to the exit door, instead leading me off in our usual direction into the store. Only he started leading me toward the bakery. When we got to the bakery, he demanded, "Up!" I picked him up and pointed at the free cookies they set out for kids. I should have known, I suppose. He knew the drill, and he wanted it followed.

I haven't been around a kid as young as Little Buddy since my siblings were this age-- which means that, since my sister was born when I was 5, I don't really remember what kids this age are like, so it's a constant joy of discovery. I think what fascinates me most is how much he learns, how much he puts things together and makes deductions. Obviously a lot of it is in language, but as the above story shows, he can work out something and extrapolate from it.

(He goes "neigh neigh" when he sees a horse or pony or unicorn... and now also when he sees a rainbow, because so many of the unicorn images he sees have rainbows in them!)

Imaginative play has started to make a show. I think one of the first examples (other than driving toy cars/trucks/trains around) is at Christmas when, having been told something at his grandmother's was a dog bed, he laid down on it and went "Night night!" (Well, more like "ny ny!") Now he lays his baby dolls and other toys down and declares "Night night!" Sometimes he randomly lays down on the floor and goes "Night night!" Or recently, after I unbuckled him from his car seat, he clambered into the driver's seat of the car and started going "Vroom vroom!" and "Beep beep!" as he turned the steering wheel.

Of course, now, there are times this backfires, times where I won't let him have the cookie (metaphorically or literally). And this is when he just totally loses it. He wails. He used to fold up on the ground

We're still figuring out how to deal with it. Redirecting works sometimes, but sometimes he gets too mad too fast and no amount of "Do you want to play DUPLO?" or "Look at these beads!" will help. Hayley likes to just validate his feelings. "I know, such big emotions!" Recently, we tried just letting him walk around crying; Hayley told him we'd be waiting for him in the living room when he was done. It might have kind of worked?

One of his favorite words is currently "Uh oh!", which doesn't just cover accidents, but also malicious dropping. "Uh oh!" he crows as he throws a cup on the floor, or some food, or whatever. One time I was watching him in the evening while Hayley worked late... but he wanted some milk. When this happens he walks around the house in circles trying to find her, most often looking in the bedroom (I guess because when she's home but not present where he is, it usually means she's asleep.) He resisted all my attempts to give him a cup of milk, and kept trying to throw it on the floor. I kept a hand on it so he couldn't, and he kept on shaking it more and more violently. "Uh oh uh oh uh oh UH OH!" It was simultaneously horrifying, sad, and kind of funny. Not even cartoons would calm him down.

Then all of a sudden he picked up the cup, started drinking it, and sat on my lap to watch Arthur. So who knows. Recently these big meltdowns have been happening every day. Is it because he's had to go back to daycare after two weeks with mom and dad? Because he's consolidated to one nap? Because he's undergoing that process that seems to explain all unrest... TEETHING? Or just because he know knows enough to have things to be upset about, but doesn't know enough to be able to deal with those feelings?

I keep recommending him the Mollmann way-- ignore and suppress your feelings-- but I am told I am not allowed to tell him this.