Piper's new favorite phrase this week is "I don't like it."
I'm not sure where she learned it (I don't think it was from me), but it first graced my ears on Wednesday morning, as we were driving to our weekly "toddler time" class. Initially, I thought it might be an isolated thing: she has had mixed feelings about the class from the beginning... and while I was surprised to hear her say those words, it made sense that she might not want to go and I took it in stride.
Come to find out, Piper "don't like" a lot of things: her shirt, her lunch, our neighbor, the cat.. the list goes on and on.
I know that toddlers are fickle beings. I am used to a certain amount of rebellious behavior from Piper. Whining, crying, flailing of limbs... all unpleasant but familiar territory. I know that the "I don't like it" thing is all about her testing me, par for the course with a 20-month-old child. I know all this, and somehow I am still bothered by her ability to tell me, with real words, that she's unhappy. When a baby cries, it's easy to make the situation better by singing, shush-ing, tickling, kissing, otherwise distracting him/her. When a baby says, "Mommy, I don't like it," a verbal response is required. The bar has suddenly been raised, and I have been thrust into the Land-of-Being-Incredibly-Careful-About-Almost-Everything-I-Say-and- Needing-To-Provide-Dumbed-Down-Explanations-For-My-Actions. It's a crazy place.
I am forcing myself to post this entry. I have so much I could potentially write about here... yet for some reason, it's the last thing I feel like doing. I'm experiencing a bit of depression. I'm not sure what brought it on, but it is making me feel very withdrawn and blah. Too much of the good life in Montreal, perhaps? (We had a great time....) I really don't know, but I'm hoping the weekend will revive me. On the agenda: a family trip here, after which I am going here for a deep tissue massage, then home to watch this. On Sunday, Piper and I are going to check this out. Seems like a recipe for happiness... hopefully it works.
I have so much to say: about how I recently turned down a job opportunity in order to extend my stay-at-home gig... about the "terrible twos," which have officially arrived at our house... about the resurgence of panic attacks I have been experiencing lately... but I am too busy to give these topics the attention they deserve. Our good friend Mark Henry is arriving in Albany in less than two hours, and we have a fun long weekend planned for him. And then on Wednesday morning, T and I are taking off for Montreal! By ourselves! For 4 days!
