Distinctly Two

While I would not call Gabe's current season the 'Terrible Twos', I can understand the desire to give this stage it's own special name. Maybe I'd call it the Blossoming Twos, or Discovering Twos. It's hard to say really, since every day seems completely different from the last, which is what makes it different and name worthy from other seasons. As a mama who loves routine, predictability, and consistency this season has been a change and on occasion difficult. I've had 2 Corinthians 12:9 ("My grace is sufficient for you, my strength made perfect in weakness") written on my bathroom mirror to start the day off right for about three months now.

While this period of time has been different and keeping me on my toes, it has also been a blast! When I sat and reflected on this season, God was gracious and helped me to see that there have been several consistencies and predictable habits.

1. Gabe is learning self-control. Pretty early on (13 ish months) we began training Gabe to control his emotions. If he doesn't get his way, he's not allowed to pitch a fit. While not totally easy for him to do, we were aided by the fact that he was still easily distracted and entertained by simple things. Now, Gabe knows what he wants and has already seen any possible substitution we might have to offer. This has lead to several difficult to reign-in fits. We're working on it, and I'm confident that teaching a two year old self-control is much easier than an 18 year old.

2. Gabe is trying out some big boy skills. Gabe isn't showing any physical signs of being ready to potty train, but he is showing some genuine interest and testing it out every once in a while. Most often he likes the focused reading time and the opportunity to flush the toilet. Now he's upset when I don't let him see his #1 and #2 in the diaper before throwing it away. My son thinks seeing his waste is a privilege earned when you use the big boy potty.

3. He has an increased amount of energy. Not just physically but mentally. He needs to be moving ALL the time, and if not moving he needs to be mentally stimulated. Thankfully he loves to be my helper so if I need to keep an eye on him or get something done he helps out. This week he's helped set the table, count binder clips into pairs, clean the house (while wearing a cape), and stir ingredients together for dinner.

4. Gabe's verbal skills and vocabulary are improving dramatically. 'Mine' is his universal pronoun - 'mine turn', 'mine look', 'mine do', 'mine shirt' and just today 'mine fall down on books!'. To learn new words he repeats everything I say, and to make sure I understand what he's saying I repeat everything he says. We sound like two parrots attempting to hold a conversation.

5. He's developed an imagination. All of a sudden he doesn't just push cars but pretends they are driving to specific destinations, having collisions and transporting people. Sometimes during dinner Andy and I will be chatting across the table, look over at Gabe and see him dancing to some tune in his head, crashing his apple slices into each other or making silly faces. His favorite is pretending to be asleep. He snores loudly, closes his eyes and lays his head down. After about 15 seconds of my commenting on his narcoleptic sleeping habits he can barely contain his laughter - wakes up - and we start all over again.

All in all it's been an entertaining season, but far from terrible.