Monkey Max

I don't know who stole my sweet, easy-going child and substituted him with this clingy, whiny and willful child; but they'd better bring him back PDQ! Once upon a time Max would wake with a grin, eat what ever I put in front of him (with relish!) and then play happily on his own or with me (he was good, either way) for hours until he would finally ask for a nap.

Now? If I say no or don't touch, he throws himself on the floor with all the drama his little body can muster. He will thrash and whine and carry on until he nearly turns blue. I just roll my eyes and wait for him to run out of air. Then I talk to him quietly and he calms down. I figured out really fast that it didn't work to try and shout over his tantrums. He can out-yell me every time.

It's possible this phase is partly caused by Max's (and my) recent illness. We were both sick for weeks. Today I am finally starting to feel a little better. Max slept until 9:30 this morning and he seems a lot more chipper too. I do see signs that he is starting to take after his big brother, unfortunately. Or maybe it's his Daddy. He used to just eat what ever I gave him. Lately he makes a face and turns away from what ever is on the fork. Even for things I know he loves.

My husband's first reaction to any request is to say no. Then he'll just do it. I don't know why he always says no. I've wondered about that for years. Max says no to everything I try to feed him, then he will eventually take a bite, realize it's tasty, and eat. All I can do is shrug.

This morning Max was just hilarious. I made him some wheat toast with butter. I thought I'd try something new on him and brought out the grape jelly too. He was happy with the buttered toast, but oh my heavens! the reaction to the jelly! He FREAKED OUT! He literally threw himself backward away from my hand and smacked his head on the floor. You'd think I was holding out a big bug for him to eat!

Once he stopped crying he climbed up onto the sofa and watched me eat some toast with jelly. I cut a slice into quarters and pretended I wasn't watching him. Sure enough, he dipped his finger into the jelly. Then he took a piece and tasted it. Next thing I know, he's eaten 3/4 of the slice and is sucking the jelly off the last tidbit. All I could do was laugh! What a kid.

Now, if you'll excuse me... I have to go find the jelly. Max took the bottle off the table and ran into the other room with it. I think he likes it.