The Not-So-Terrible Twos (Well, Most of the Time, Anyway!)

The other day, in a moment of fury,  I posted my frustrations on Facebook about how, at almost 2.5, Chandler has entered his "Terrible Twos". It had been an exceptionally challenging day at our house because there had been several unexplained meltdowns, but after I read some of the comments from some other more seasoned mothers, I felt so guilty for what I said. 


Here I was, still grieving the recent loss of a fifth sibling of Chandler's, and I was taking the child I do have for granted instead of appreciating and enjoying every single minute I have with this precious little boy. God gave him to me for a reason, just like he took my other five for a reason. No one can ever convince me otherwise that Chandler is a miracle. He is a blessing in my life, and even though he may have entered a more challenging period of his growing up, I have vowed to make the best of it and try to focus on all the wonderful things he does to make my heart melt. Here are a few of those things...



* Dancing in the living room floor with me, even though it's really more like marching
* Saying, "Oh, me!" when something seems funny to him 
* The endless books and puzzles that we look at and play with together
* The Legos, balls, and cars on the floor all over the house
* Answering "I'm here" when I ask him what he is doing while I'm cooking, cleaning, etc...
* The "raspberries" he attempts to give me and how he giggles when I give them to him
* How he absolutely LOVES to crawl and wrestle on our bed
* How he runs to me excitedly when we've been apart
* The way he declares "I'm done!" both at the end of a meal and when he's on the potty
* How he absolutely loves running around with nothing on after going to the potty
* The way he seriously ponders things these days by saying "Let's see..."

* The cute, mischievous grin he gives me when he knows he's been caught being naughty

* The precious way he says "Nope!" or "Uh-Uh" when he is asked a question 

* His sweet laughs, even though sometimes there is really nothing funny happening

* The way he still sleepily rubs his eyes and cuddles with me every night before he goes to bed

My list could go on and on, but my point is, I love this little boy that God has given me, and I don't ever want to take him for granted. He is too precious for that, and like I was reminded the other day, before I know it, I'll be helping him pack for college. For now, though, I will enjoy all the sweet things he does, and I will make it through the tough times just like millions of mothers before me have done.