A Girl Named PJ

Today is Levi’s 19-month birthday, but I’m afraid he’s already exhibiting signs of the Terrible Twos: moodiness, temper tantrums, and persistent use of the word “no.”

He’s only recently added “no” to his vocabulary but has been using it with abandon for the past several days. When he doesn’t want to do what we’ve asked, he shakes his head, stomps his feet, and yells, “No, no, no, no, no!”

This weekend was especially challenging. Levi fussed and cried when it was time to put on his jacket, sit in his highchair, and go to bed. I actually can’t remember the last time he was so hysterical at bedtime — perhaps when we were sleep training? Standing up in his crib Sunday night, he screamed and wailed at the top of his lungs in such a panicked state that JB was convinced Levi must have been afraid of something in his room.

As Levi’s going-to-bed behavior seemed so out of the ordinary, I could only let him cry for about 10 minutes before I felt the need to console him. Instantly relieved when I walked into his room, Levi put himself to sleep while I sat on a stool beside his crib. Eventually I snuck out, but not before worrying that I had just started a bad precedent for dealing with crying at bedtime.

Has Levi officially entered the Terrible Twos? Or is this a just a phase possibly related to starting nursery school?

If you’ve experienced similar behavior and can share any words of wisdom, please leave a comment below!

{art by Kyle Pellet}