Tag, you’re it

(Let me preface this by saying in the scheme of things I know both my girls are GOOD girls, and were good babies.  Even at their worst they’re not that bad.  Mostly.)

Ever since the girls were tiny my husband and I would joke that they took turns being ‘the difficult one’.  It was like they had meetings late at night where they scheduled the weeks they would get to spend their time torturing me.  I have always appreciated they did at least take turns in driving me insane, because if they both decided to be DIFFICULT at the same time, I probably would have lost it many many many months ago.

When they were little Charlotte was definitely the harder baby, which in retrospect we realize was due to her reflux.  Once the reflux stopped at about 7 or 8 months she turned into the sweetest, most good natured baby.  Katie started crawling first and got into everything and drove me nuts.  Charlotte walked first and ran away from me and started boycotting the stroller.  Katie went through some difficult phases, mostly due to clinginess or separation anxiety.  Charlotte has always been sensitive to sounds and more easily scared by certain things, which caused some big time sleep issues at different times.

The last few months, my sweet Katie has been the one we have (in our heads only) thought of as the difficult one.  She loves to throw a good tantrum, the patented Katie Meltdown, and loves to do it at the most embarrassing places and times.  I think i wrote before that they often involved her removing her shoes.  To throw at me. And we went through a stretch where she had a good tantrum pretty much every single day.  I would warn people before we met them places, be prepared.  There may be flying shoes involved in our lunch date.  As well as loud screaming, kicking, crying, wailing and large numbers of gawking onlookers.

 
               Katie, looking sweet.  Don’t buy it.

Slowly though, the meltdowns lessened and lessened, and I can honestly say it’s been a good couple weeks since we’ve really had one.  And Katie has been super sweet.  Happy and adorable and cuddly and just a good good girl. 

Need I say what that means?

My little Charlotte, my sweet Lala, who these past few months we’ve said “Well thank God Charlotte is so EASYGOING and GOOD NATURED!”  Yep.  It’s her turn.

One day last week i was getting them dressed, and Charlotte refused to put on the pants i picked out.  Said she didn’t like them.  Threw them at me (what’s with throwing things at your Mother?)  Freaked out over these stupid pants she’s worn ten times already. 

   Charlotte decided she didn’t like her sweatshirt after all.

The next day, she had a complete freak out because i wouldn’t let her wear her sparkly light up princess dress up shoes to the park.  Now she has an opinion on everything she wears.

Speaking of the park, she decided she does not like kids.  I told her she IS a kid but I don’t think she believes me.  At the park she stands in front of the playground area and loudly yells “I don’t like kids!  Hi Boy!  I don’t like BOYS!  Aaaghhh, no KIDS!”   All these four year olds stare at her like she’s crazy.

Next, the toy stealing started.  Whatever Katie picks up, Charlotte yanks out of her hand.  Though in her defense she will say “Thanks Katie!” as she takes it.  And then she will loudly proclaim it’s hers. 

MY DOLL!  MY CRAYON! MY BOOK!

 
   Katie, give me that ball.  It’s MINE! Oh and thank you!

This has reached epic proportions.  The front door is now hers.  MY DOOR! I OPEN IT!  MINE!  I find myself lowering to her level.  The neighbors heard me this morning telling her “NO it’s MY DOOR! And you know what, you’re mine too! You’re mine, Katie is mine, the van is mine, the doorbell is mine, the cat is mine, EVERYTHING YOU SEE IS MINE AND I.AM.THE.BOSS!

Good parenting skills there. 

Even her body parts she has to label as hers.  If I touch her hand she yells “MY hand!”  Her arm she yells “MY arm!  Lala’s arm!!  MINE!” One rainy day this week I took the girls to the library.  Before we went in I told them, you have to be very quiet in the library, no running, no yelling.  And for about half an hour they were pretty good.  But once they started getting rambunctious I tried to gently usher them out, taking each by the arm…. so of course Charlotte SCREECHED….MY arm! MY arm! 

Which to the casual observer sounds like “MY ARM! MY ARM!  Mommy is breaking my arm in half! The agony!”  The looks I got, you wouldn’t believe  Almost made me miss the Katie Meltdowns.