She's Like No Other

When Landon and Emma were toddlers, I would always hear Moms complain about the "terrible two's", but I seriously thought they were exaggerating. I couldn't imagine my kids ever behaving that way. Landon had a perfect temperament from the day he was born. Emma was a really hard baby, but by the time she was 2, she was an angel. They didn't throw fits, they listened to directions and they usually behaved. When Emma was 3, we flew to Florida and she sat still and was perfect throughout the entire 5 hour flight. I figured that was normal toddler behavior.

...Enter Olivia.


This chick is a spitfire. She does everything all of those moms complained about. She tests my limits constantly. Right now, her big thing is to throw her food on the floor and yell, "no, no no" as she does it. At a soccer game she kept trying to run onto the field, and after several reprimands, she slowly walked backwards onto the field, staring me down the whole time. When Emma is in the bath, Livi gets mad that she's not in there with her (she's no longer allowed since she poops in the bath-another thing I just love). So in retaliation she throws things like shoes, hairbrushes, and watches in the bath with Emma. She's also in this phase where she climbs into small spaces and gets stuck. After I free her from her death scream, she crawls right back in again. I feel so out of my element. I'm finding myself reading books and looking on the internet to get advice like I'm a first-time parent.

Although there are days that I handle this better than others, for the most part, it's kind of amusing to me. I've just never seen anything like it. Something else that I'm experiencing for the first time, is how much emulates her older siblings. Because Landon and Emma were so close in age, I raised them together. Since Livi is so much younger, she is trying to do everything they do. She follows them everywhere and has to do exactly what they are doing. During homework, she has to sit right in the middle of them and do it too. When the kids brush their teeth, Livi does too...I can't help her, she HAS to do it. Whenever we go to school functions, she insists on sitting with the class. When the kids are on the computer, she will pinch and push them until they get off and then she climbs up and copies them.


Watching her do all these things makes me laugh so I just had to write it down so I can remember how crazy she was. I love that she's growing up. I love that she's copying the two most perfect children, so one day she will start acting like them. I love the dirty looks she's giving me right now because I'm on the computer and not giving her my undivided attention. I love you Livi!