Terrible twos....at thirteen months??!

We've had a rough time for the past few weeks! I don't want to say that every hour of every day is horrible (far from that), but we definitely have a curious and headstrong toddler on our hands! Grant is discovering so many new things and makes up his mind about things he wants to do, and it's becoming hard to find things to distract him anymore. For example, he is very interested in electrical outlets; we've baby-proofed them, but any time something is plugged in, he sets his mind on pulling it out! He especially wanted to do this with the Christmas tree. Any time Grant disappeared for a couple of minutes, you could pretty much guarantee that's where he was! And as we're telling him "no," it's hard not to smile because he looks so darn cute.....he goes up to it, then looks back and forth with a little sly smile on his face because he knows he's doing something he's not supposed to do! Aahh! That little stinker! Dean has been slapping his hand quite a bit, but I don't think it hurts or scares him much, because he goes right back and does it again!

So....it's just been one of those months where it seems like nothing is going right. I definitely don't want him to learn that he can play with things that are dangerous, but it's so hard to know how to discipline at this age. I know that consistency is the key, so I think it's just a matter of staying on top of him. He knows what's wrong; he's just trying to see if we'll stop him every time!

Another thing we're dealing with is fits. He loves to be outside (even in this cold weather!), and no matter how long we stay outside, he cries and gets mad when we come in! Also, if we're out doing errands and it's time to get back in the car, sometimes he makes it almost impossible to strap him in! He is so strong!! And if he wants to go into a room (i.e. laundry room/kitty litter box room) and I shut the door before he can pull it open and walk in, he will sometimes clench his fists and fall down on the floor crying!

These situations are easier to handle....I just walk away from him and let him cry for a second (that's usually all it takes), and quite often I also laugh because he looks pretty cute when he gets really mad like that! I think all of it comes down to curiosity- at this age, he wants to explore everything. And by putting him in his carseat or bringing him back into the house, he's taken away from a place where he wants to be at that moment!

But....all this to say, I am completely amazed by him and have a wonderful time with him most of the time. It's just that this stage is a little bit harder (in some ways) than when he was five months old! I read in a book that one-year-olds are very selfish....they still want to make sure that mom and dad are there, but they're mainly interested in exploring their world. And they're not happy when they aren't allowed to do that!