One two-year old – piece of cake. Two? Tough stuff. Three? Challenging by default!

When 6:00pm hits on the weekdays, the Cavelets go into maniac mode. We’re not sure where they find the energy, but this is when the games begin. Laps around the recliner, hanging off of everything possible, screaming at the top of their lungs, less and less listening. The diapers come off, no matter what they contain, and the game of chase begins.

I arrive minutes later and the place is destroyed. No point asking what happened – I just smile. Sometimes, there’s no point picking the stuff up. They are an efficient wrecking machine. They sure do know how to have fun!

These days, in the mornings they know when I’m getting ready to leave. I’m usually out the door by 6:40am, and this is when Michaela gets extra clingy. Her latest strategy is to wrap herself around me and try to pin me in if I’m sitting down. Otherwise, she will hold my hand and step in front of me each step. Emma insists on being picked up when she sees me return from getting dressed. Christopher tries to hand me every toy within reach. Eventually, they start waving and saying, “Bye Bye”. They even line up for hugs and kisses.

They are able to express emotions now. Tarzan excites them now when Tarzan battles Sabor the cheetah. They growl like the big cat, and say “Oh no!” when things are intense. Christopher expresses shame when he’s been bad, covering both his eyes with his hands. He also does the same thing when he’s been told no.

There seems to be a certain time of day where they are laser focused on trying on shoes.

Potty training is going to be an adventure. Now that the girls can say “No”, they phrase it like a question when I ask them if they want to go potty. They’re not yet interested and that’s ok. Michaela has gone 7 times, Emma 4 and Christopher 1. Getting the timing will be tricky. They want their bottles first thing when waking up and don’t want to drink it sitting up and don’t want it in a sippy cup yet. And sitting them on it after their bottle ticks them off.

Behavior Profile:

Michaela – defiant; pushes the envelope; loves to see what she can get away with; going through a hitting phase, which isn’t ending well for her. We’ve reinvented the time out to where she’s in a room by herself, which she hates. Amazingly enough, she would stay on the couch as requested, but she built up a tolerance to that. Gets put on a time out the most out of the three. Still bossy around her siblings. Likes to be king of the hill and will push her siblings away from whatever she’s doing. Understands right from wrong, for sure. Seems to know that she’s the oldest and embraces the big sister role. Will bend over and point her butt at you when she’s pooped if you ask; however, she’s been known to reach in and just show you…She’s also going through a phase where whatever she eats she has to taste test it first. Lots of food ends up on the floor.

Emma – Still gives us the least trouble. Throws tantrums though when she’s fussy and is difficult to calm down. Is mild-mannered, yet easily excited. Has been put on one time out for not listening. Is perfectly content playing by herself or doing her own thing. Loves to practice talking. Has a knack for repeating things clearly. Wait until you see her word list below! Emma loves holding objects in one hand, especially little sticks. When Emma doesn’t want to eat she spits it out as is and moves on. If it’s really bad she will brush it off of her tongue.

Christopher – Seems to choose not to listen most of the time. Typical boy. Is very clingy when he’s overly tired and his wind down routine has been compromised. Has the most annoying fake cry on the planet. It’s earthy and loud. He really gets worked up though. Is fascinated with throwing toys over the baby gates into the kitchen and playing with them on the couch. Is Michaela’s designated helper when something is out of her reach. Loves to help clean and is into ripping up paper into little bits and strewing them everywhere. Christopher can be quite obnoxious, clubbing us with his feet repeatedly or wrestling the girls when they are done with him. He doesn’t know how strong he is. But sometimes he’s a gentle giant. He’s been known to find Michaela’s binkie and give it to her or pet his sisters. Christopher will spit out whatever he’s eating in favor of something else if he sees it and wants it. Doesn’t finish what he’s eating…

To those interested in how their vocabulary is progressing, read on!

Michaela

Yes, Bye Bye, mine, nana (banana), mama, Emma, wow, OK, Apple, Hi, Mo (No), 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, eat, choo choo, meow, moo, woof, baaaaa, nay, tree, B-I-N-G-O, bite, touch, uh oh, all gone, baby, raaarrrrr (cheetah), gigi

Emma

Come on, choo choo, papa, skunk, bear, bird, cow, tree, three, baby, “Want your baba?”, bye, bye bye, duck, truck, quack, car, apple, pretty, look!, wee! goat, nana (banana), cold, hot, thank you, uh oh,  oh no!, “Where’d it go?”, ow, welcome, go, heart, ya, yes, pee pee, poo poo, ahhhhh, beep beep, house, bus, “What’s that?”, boat, fish, shhhhhhh, good job, wow, “Let go!”, OK, Elsa (Frozen), Anna (Frozen),  eat, not nice, outside, hat, tissue, nose, eyes, Mickey Mouse, clock, hello, hi, touch, yum, Santa, cheese, all gone, hug, “You Want a Hug?”, whoa!, watch, It’s a tree!, ant

Christopher

purple, papa, baba, grrrrr, raaaaaar, truck, duck, dada, bye bye, hi, Emma, gentle, cracker, color, mum, uh oh, tissue, tree, touch, cheese, shoes, meow

Typical 2 year olds.

They’ll be 2 years and 2 months old tomorrow, but who’s counting? 🙂