2.5

We interrupt our regularly planned sweet post to bring you some news about the terrible 2's.

This little guy is 2.5 today. 

And we're feeling it, people. Boy, are we ever feeling it. There are really, really good days. And then there's those days when there's not enough red wine in the world. Yesterday was one of those days. (And let me add that I'm doing a cleanse right now, so I can't have red wine. Ugh!)

Hudson started off the day with a few "time out" sessions for not doing what he was told to do. You know...like not getting dressed, not picking up his toys, hitting John Robert, etc....etc... He finally straightened up and I dropped him off at school for the day. He's usually very good at school. In fact, he's had all smiley faces since school started and we're almost through the 2nd full week. He's also been the "Snack Helper" and the "Line Leader" a couple of times, so I had no doubt that he would be on his best behavior. I mean, kids are always worse for their parents....right???  Wrong.

When I picked up Hudson from school later that day, his teacher met me at the door and asked if I'd heard about their day yet. Um....no. And I'm thinking to myself - oh shit, this can't be good. She proceeds to tell me that he was sent to "time out" FOUR times for not sharing the toys in the classroom. Her words exactly - "He was very territorial today." And then...............he tried to bite another little boy for playing with one of the toys that he was hoarding. WHAT????

Now, I have to say that I wasn't too terribly surprised because we had a biting incident at our house the other night. Hudson bit Trey on his arm. Hard. Enough to break the skin and leave an ugly blue and yellow bruise on Trey. We handled it though and I thought he understood that biting was a big, fat NO-NO. His teacher went on to tell me that he didn't actually bite the little boy, but he came close. Shew! After that incident, he was sent to the director. Miss J tried to talk to him and let him know how wrong biting was and disciplined him again. He was then told to go downstairs and apologize to the little boy and his teacher for acting out. Needless to say, there was no smiley face on his calendar yesterday.

On the car ride home, we talked a lot about how sad I was about the way he acted at school. Hudson's response: "Be Happy, Mommy." We talked about what the consequences would be if he acted badly at school again. "Mommy - be happy!" Looking back, I should've immediately told him that I was taking the iPad away for the afternoon/evening and not given him a 2nd chance. Oh well....live and learn. And that's what parenthood is all about, right?

I know he's testing his limits. I know that his world has been completely uprooted because of John Robert. And I know he's 2.5. But....it doesn't make it any easier. He can be so sweet and wonderful one minute and a complete terror the next.

Humor me for a bit and let me post some things about Hudson at this age - so I don't forget.

--Weight: Around 32 lbs.   Height: Around 36"
--Sleeping in his big bed and has been since he was 25 months.
--Uses the potty every once in awhile, but mostly lost interest when JR was born. It's picking back up a   little, so that's a good thing.
--Eats just about anything. Loves french fries, chicken nuggets (which are really veggie), broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, peas, carrots, any kind of fruit except pineapple, sausage, eggs, peanut butter, fish, and lots and lots of snacks.
--Sleeps from about 8.45 - 6.30am. Sometimes later, sometimes earlier.
--Naps from 2-4pm each day.
--Favorite toys: Matchbox Cars, Thomas the Train and everything that goes with it, Sandbox, Scooter
--Has mastered the iPad better than me or Trey.
--Still loves Curious George and continues to watch episode after episode - over and over.
--Quit watching Mickey Mouse and has now become a PBS kid. Loves Dinosaur Train, Super Why, Martha Speaks, and Sesame Street.
--Speaks in full sentences all the time.
--Knows his way around our city. For real.
--Learning his left and right. He's getting good at this.
--Knows his alphabet
--Knows all of his colors
--Can recognize his name and spell the first 3 letters.
--Counts to 20...skips a few numbers here and there, but he knows most of them.
--Knows all of his animals and what sounds they make and what they eat.

That's all I can think of right now. I can't believe he's 2.5 years old! This age really is fun. I love to hear him talk and use his imagination. I love that he asks me 5,000,000 questions in the car about every single thing we pass by. I love that when I tell him: Sweet Dreams - Sleep Tight at the end of each night, he repeats it back to me.

These are the things I have to remind myself of on days like yesterday :)