Two...and then the honest truth

My sweet Ethan is two.  Two.

Finding the words to describe my feelings for my baby has never been my strength.  How can I explain or even put into words how incredible it is to be his mother?  How can I explain how deep my love is for him?  How thankful I am for him every single day?  He sure isn't perfect, but neither are we.  He is SO perfect for us.

At two, Ethan can do so much.  He has such a huge vocabulary and speaks in clear sentences.  He loves music and to sing and dance.  He loves the water and running through the grass.  Seeing the beauty and wonder of the world through his eyes has been a wonderful experience for me.

But oh my goodness, this child is teaching me this summer.  Teaching me what it means to have patience.  That it is time for the REAL parenting to begin.

I'm going to be really honest here...Ethan has been challenging this summer.  I swear, he woke up on his 2nd birthday and somehow, he knew, he was now supposed to be in the "terrible twos".  I was ready for it, but man, it happened FAST.  One day, my sweet, cuddly bubba, and the next day...well...

I've broken down his behaviors into 3 categories:
1.  "It's MINE"- I hear this phrase like 10,000 times a day.  It is hard to be around other kids, because I know he will get possessive over every single item he comes across.  I know it is totally normal, but it still embarrasses me.  I've tried to explain taking turns, but a meltdown still occurs every. single. time.
2.  Boo-boos- We have hit a pretty fragile stage.  When learning to walk, the kid took a ton of spills and was able to brush it off.  Now, I swear, he wakes up with boo-boos.  He always needs to me to "kiss all better now" and, of course, I oblige.  I hope to find a place of balance, so we don't have a 10 year old that still needs his parents to kiss his boo-boos. But for now, I'm kissing every single one of them.  I just keep telling myself that there will be a day where he won't ask.  And then I'll cry :(
3.  The random temper tantrum/crying/whining- He doesn't want to wear socks, he doesn't like how the lawn mower sounds, he hates his tshirt, his milk has a red top, I could go on and on and on.  And I know this one isn't going to stop anytime soon.  I've had more wine in the last week than I had in the last 6 months.  Holy cow, the whining causes wining!

I've totally scheduled tons of things for us to do this summer.  We have only had about 2 full weeks together this summer, and we have done so much.  Zoo, concerts, music class, parks, swim lessons, camp, play dates, splash pads.  We get out of the house every single day, which definitely helps, but gives us tons of reasons for tantrums and freakouts.

Yesterday, my mom told me that my expectations for him are just too high.  He is two and this is how two year olds act. I've been thinking a lot about that comment.  Were my expectations for this perfect summer (like we had last year) just too high?  Should I set a low expectation for every day and be happy if it turns around?  I definitely need to find a balance, so I don't find myself becoming frustrated with him (and myself) every day.  And so I don't become an alcoholic ;)

I absolutely adore my child.  He is spirited, smart, observant, outgoing, and caring.  He gives the best hugs and kisses, and I love when he sings with me each night.  He is absolutely the best thing that has happened to me, and I thank God every day for allowing this precious being to be in my care.  I hope to do everything right as his Mommy (but I know that I don't/won't).  I just hope he knows how hard I am trying to give him my everything, because that is exactly what he is to me.

*And of course, today was the best day we have had all summer.  Camp in the morning, a nice lunch and nap, followed by some time at the neighborhood pool.  Minimum tantrums and tons of kisses. :)

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HELLO June!

It's June!  WHAT????

May was a complete whirlwind.  May is my favorite month for many reasons.  First of all, it is the last month of school.  It is super crazy and busy at work, writing report cards, grading, and wrapping up the school year.  BUT once you get through it, you are FINISHED for 10 weeks!  May is also the month of Mother's Day, Ethan's Birthday, AND my birthday.  Finally, we ended the month with my little sister's wedding!

I blogged a couple of times about doing the Whole 30 during the month of May.  It was a tough month, because we had a lot of celebrations, but it was a perfect month because I LOST weight instead of gaining it.  I ended up losing 6.5 pounds during the month, and actually 5 of them were during the first week.  It was pretty amazing to meet my goal just in time for my sister's wedding.  Since then....welllllll....not so hot.  I feel like it's been a downward spiral for the past week (snacks, pizza, cookies, etc.) and I'm already starting to plan to start another clean eating challenge.  I just don't have will-power on my own, and for some reason, a clean challenge makes me do it.

We celebrated Ethan's 2nd birthday in the middle of the month.  I can't believe my sweet boy is TWO!  We celebrated with a little Elmo party (although he really isn't as obsessed as he was when I chose the theme) of just our immediate family.  Since I went a little overboard with his first birthday party, we decided to keep it small this year. 

When I started the Whole 30, I had every intention of following it, EXCEPT for on my 30th birthday.  Yup, I turned 30 a week ago.  All I wanted for my birthday was a fiesta with my closest family and friends, a Qdoba bar, and margaritas.  And baby, I got it.  I had such a wonderful night, and feel so lucky to be healthy and have reached this milestone year.

After I came off of my birthday hangover, it was time to celebrate Ali's wedding weekend.  It was an INCREDIBLE weekend.  Tornado warnings during the rehearsal dinner and not a drop of rain on her wedding day.  Everything was perfect and I swear, she was the prettiest bride I have ever seen.  Ethan was a perfect angel (except for getting the tux on, which we knew would be a fight), and he walked down the aisle like such a big boy.  We are so happy to have Kyle in our family and our post-wedding lives to get back to normal :)

Now it is finally time to enjoy my summer vacation off with my little man.  We are booked with stroller-fit classes, swimming lessons, music classes, and mommy-and-me camp.  Excited to experience summertime with my family and friends!

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