JT Flashback #1: 18 Months

As the new little one has been creeping her way up the growth charts, I've been reminiscing about JT's younger days. Also about the blog posts I wrote and never got around to posting. Here's a fun little one from when JT was just 18 months old:

JT has been on a "no" kick lately. He naturally uses it when he doesn't want to do whatever it was I just asked him to do, but he's also using it to tell other kids what to do. See, he has yet to add the infamous, "Mine!" to his vocabulary, so when he sees a kid approaching that he think might take something of his, "No!" is the word of choice. He also has a real tendency to yell this at kids who (in my mind, anyway), clearly don't have the slightest interest in taking his stuff. They just happen to be standing near him. He's also way more apt to say it to kids his age than older kids. For the preschoolers who approach him, he just sort of stares in awe at their tallness and ability to use full sentences.

He's also picked up "All done!" as a way to tell me when he's finished. Not just with eating, but with anything. Tired of waiting in line at the store? All done! Don't particularly want to go see the doctor? All done! Want to get off the changing table before Mommy has even removed the dirty diaper? All done! When realization hits that this magic phrase doesn't stop everything he dislikes, he gets quite irritated.

I feel like toddlerhood must be this crazy frustrating time when it comes to words. For a short while, there's the thrilling realization that, "Oh my gosh! If I use these word things, I can actually tell the adults what I want!" Then comes the devastating realization that even though Mommy clearly understood you, she still chose to ignore your request. I can see why the two's are terrible. Learning that the world doesn't bend to your will like you once thought is a tough lesson. Unfortunately, if we don't want our kids to grow into impossibly obnoxious adults, it's a lesson all parents have to teach.

My fear right now is when the new baby comes home, JT is going to take one look at him/her and proclaim, "No. All done!" and expect me to take the baby back to the hospital. (Update: He did actually say this when he visited me at the hospital, but mostly because he wanted to go and look at the cool train they had set up in the lobby.)