Sneak Peek at Terrible 2's

Lexie is usually a sweet and easygoing little girl, but in the past few days, a different child has emerged.

She had a major tantrum. She was on the ground screaming and crying and kicking her legs. We tried at first to comfort her and she just cried more. Then when she got something she wanted (and she wanted the tube of Desitin to stick in her mouth), she was happy until I took it away and then the screaming began. And she could turn the tears on and off in an instant, so we decided to just let her scream it out until she got tired.

She's been getting really fussy at meal times also. We think it's because she wants more table food rather than the baby food, but then we give her some and if we don't feed her fast enough, she starts screaming.

We're hoping this is a phase she's going through because she's trying to communicate with us and she just doesn't know how to speak. I already have an appointment to get her evaluated. I guess it's the teacher in me and I want to make sure we do some early intervention while she's young.

I'm just worried that she doesn't talk much. She babbles and will say "ma" or "dad", but nothing else. She won't repeat words, except for "no."

So, Lexie has been assigned a care coordinator and they'll be coming by to determine if she has speech issues. If she does need help, then she'll receive speech therapy or if they feel she's developing on track, then she'll just be monitored until she turns 3. We hope that she's just a late bloomer, but it's better to get her help now when she's young instead of waiting until she starts school. It's a free service so I might as well take advantage of it.

When Lexie is not in a bad mood, she has turned into a little lovebug. When I come home from work, she's glued to my leg. Sometimes I can't move because she's just hanging on, kind of like those chimps you see holding on to their mommies. I love that she wants to be around me, but it's hard to get things done. She's giving lots of hugs now and even kisses me when I ask her to. Lexie is really cute because after she kisses me, she has a big grin on her face and her eyes get all scrunched up, it's really adorable. Then, just like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Lexie can go from a lovebug to a grump-a-lump in an instance. If she doesn't get what she wants, she'll scream and give me pinch or will even bite my leg and run away.

One of the cutest things Lexie does right now is dance. She used to just bounce around in one place, but now her whole body gets into the music and she's spinning around, moving her arms. She even tries to moonwalk.

We tolerate grouchy Lexie because when that sweet little girl gives you a hug, it just makes everything okay in the world again.