Daniel has entered a difficult stage. Some might like to call it "being 2." I hesitate to do so, because that implies that it might last another 11 months. Basically, he has a total meltdown over any contradiction to his stated plans or desires. This is zero-to-hysterics in under 2 seconds and there's no stopping it once it starts. At home when he starts this we try to speak calmly, ask him to "use words" and tell us what he wants. If it's something he can't have we try to distract with alternatives. This pretty much never works, and we have to remind him that if he wants to scream he has to do it in his bed. We only leave him a few minutes and then go back to ask if he's done crying and ready to come out. Even if he's still crying, he usually takes this opportunity to collect himself and come back to play. 
The real downside is when this happens away from home, particularly at times when we're trying to get in the car. He's not so much fighting the car seat, as the fact of being placed in it when he wants to stay somewhere else. Today I discovered that his shirt sleeves were wet (from vigorous hand washing) just as we were getting ready to walk out the door of the daycare. He wanted to "go back my class and change my shirt" (which is what we do if we discover the damp before leaving the class; this happens a lot.) but I said we could change it at home. Absolute meltdown. He actually laid himself face down on the floor at the daycare entrance--I shudder to think of the dirt and slush! So then of course he would not allow himself to be strapped into the car. It was really quite a horrible scene. He all-out screamed the entire drive home, which takes about 10-15 minutes.
When we got home I took him straight up to his nap, but had to change his wet shirt first. Then I picked him up and held him as tight to me as I could quietly chanting in his ear, "Mommy loves you. Daddy loves you. Grandma loves you. Grandpa loves you. Gram loves you. PopPop loves you" just trying to get him to calm down. Edward came up and inserted "Edward loves you" into the meditation. It sort of worked, but he still screamed when put in bed. Eventually he laid down with his pacifiers and allowed himself to be covered. Then he proceeded to sleep for three hours.So, obviously he was exhausted, and of course I know that when I pick him up. Unfortunately, that knowledge is no help against the force of a screaming toddler arching and wrenching his body away from his car seat. I guess we'll all live to tell the tale.
We had a bit of a rough-and-tumble sledding adventure with Grandma and Grandpa on Saturday afternoon. On the first run down, Ed and Daniel rode together in a new sled, got a bit off balance and ended up tipping over. Daniel took the brunt of the fall with his face (above) and sustained a bloody lip. We dabbed it with tissue and applied Chapstick and he was willing to have another go. We kind of got a late start and as it started to get dark, the boys said they were done after about 20 minutes. We convinced them to have a few more races down with Grandpa (Grandma opted to observe.) It wasn't our most successful outing of the season, but the new sled is pretty killer. It's just a plastic two-seater, but it really flies down the hill and coasts far beyond the slope. I think we'll have more opportunity to use it this weekend after another snowfall last night and today. That makes three Monday nights in a row with snow--the night I have to drive to Cedar Rapids for my MBA class. UGH! It's a really interesting class though, and I think I'll be able to keep the calculator tucked away all semester, which is a big plus in my mind.
Our boys don't let the snow deter their favorite outdoor activities. I have tried to tell Daniel his "school bus" will not work in the snow, but he would not be denied. I finally got it out and he scooted along until he hit a snow bank. Then the slight uphill grade in front of our house was impassable, but he didn't mind--just got off and pushed from behind. Until he hit a snow bank.
Seeing this, Edward bolted to the garage. Unable to see behind the parked car, I wasn't sure what he was doing until he came peddling out on the tractor. Lack of four-wheel drive was also a problem with this vehicle, but he managed to head downhill toward one neighbor and then convinced me to offer a light, but continuous, push back up to our house. He was more willing than Daniel to admit his vehicle wasn't up to the snowy terrain. Then again, he also has more ability to entertain himself in other ways, like climbing through the snowy yard and up the banks of shoveled snow. Whatever the case, they stayed out for an hour, which is good for all of our mental health.
I think my Grandma was having a good laugh with us at church last week. She used to tell the story of wanting to be in the band but her family not being able to afford an instrument or lessons. She thought, "Well, I'll just be the conductor--all they do is wave their hands like this" and then she'd wave back and forth. Well, Ed often turns around to watch the choir at mass and sometimes he pretends he's the conductor, but this week, he really got into it, imitating the rhythmic up and down, side to side motions and even turning his hands from parallel to perpendicular to the floor. He watched and imitated for at least two verses. I couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry, but I kept thinking of my Grandma's boisterous laugh and how much she loved that story.
In other musical developments, there was a string quartet program in place of the usual Saturday story hour last week. They are part of the Cedar Rapids Symphony and do these educational programs throughout the area. It was one of the best library programs we've ever seen--the cellist really connected with the kids. They kept the pieces short, but described what to listen for ("engine," "whistle," "raindrops," etc.) On the way home, John asked Ed if he'd like to learn to play the cello someday, but Ed said, "No, I want to play piano." Well...someday. But then yesterday he was sitting on backward on his little chair and the position (having his legs around the chair back) reminded him of the cello and he asked me what "that big instrument" was. It's amazing the impressions that are made.
