Liam, AKA the Dudey Dude, is giving me a run for my money. My sweet little boy has turned out to have quite a temper and a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde personality at times. Take loading the kids into the Beast for instance. To put him in his car seat, you better have the cup holder in his seat filled with snacks, or have a snack cup in his hand or his little body will become stiff as a board and he will scream as though you are removing one of his limbs (which is an amazing sound when you are trying to load him into the car in public...) You then have to force him down into the seat and hold him in with your elbow as you attempt to buckle the strap across his chest before he twists onto the floor in a puddle of anger. If you don't get it buckled then you are treated to the inevitable slap or head bash as he flails like a trout out of water, defiantly trying to remain clear of the car seat. However, if you attempt to put him in the seat and he spies snacks, he happily grabs one and allows you to strap him in as though this was his idea in the first place and being strapped in is his favorite playtime activity. It doesn't matter if he just ate the biggest meal of his life, there better be snacks...or else!
When he is happy, he is hilarious to be around, but when he is mad, watch out. In the long list of nicknames this kid has, we can now add the following: hair puller, scratcher, biter, hitter, and head basher.
How he became known as a hair puller:
I woke up a few days before Christmas with the kids at 6am. I took them downstairs and plopped them on the carpet in front of the tv with twin sippy cups of milk, turned on "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse", and headed to the coffee maker. As I went about my business, Laney got a candy cane off the counter and began to eat it unbeknownst to me. My peaceful morning went from zero to screaming in 3 seconds and I turned around to see that Liam had a handful of Laney's hair and was trying to wrench it from her scalp. Naturally, she wasn't sharing with him and this was making him a little bit more Hyde this morning. I separated them, made him apologize/hug Laney and got them settled back down in front on the tv. I watched Liam as he never took his eyes from the television screen, but managed to reach out laterally and grab a finally hank of Laney's hair and pull it for good measure. Unbelievable! I thought I had at least another year before that kind of sneaky manuevering. Too bad for me I have an advanced son.
How he became known as a scratcher:
Liam's nails grow ridiculously fast and when he gets mad he lashes out (like in the car seat). Several times my face has been too close to the danger zone and he has grabbed at my mouth and scratched furiously, leaving me twice with scrapes that start at my nostril and extend to my lip. He has scratched Laney too, leaving a red welted mark on her skin several times. If I trim his nails every 3 days, I have a fighting chance against his fists of fury.
How he became known as a biter:
Liam has 8 front teeth and 4 molars, and is now working on his eye teeth. He doesn't like to have his gums looked at, and really hates having them prodded. If you dare to try and feel his gums, he will bite you with all his might. He recently bit me so hard on my finger nail, that I have a bruise under the nail itself. His gums respond really well to Orajel, but putting it on my finger and attempting to rub it on his gums is an act of self-loathing for me. I know I am going to get bit, but I have to do it anyway to stop the fussing. Then he is happy and I am in pain! I got wise to the biting and now apply the Orajel to a teething stick so that my fingers remain a good 3 inches from his chompers at all times.
How he became known as a hitter:
Liam doesn't really talk yet, but he babbles a lot. He can follow a decent amount of directions, but has no real way to tell us when he wants something. This creates a lot of frustration for him and his favorite way to vent that frustration is hitting. He often gets very frustrated with Laney (especially because she takes toys away from him all the time) and then whacks her. She whacks him back and then they are both screaming. I intervene and then he starts hitting me because he is so mad (enter in the preventative nail clipping!)
How he became known as a head basher:
Due to the previously mentioned anger and frustration, Liam's ultimate breakdown ends in head bashing. He will bash his head on anything, and if you don't catch him, he will even lay down and smack his head on the tile floor. I have done some research and I am supposed to be ignoring the behavior, but I usually move him to the carpet if he tries to bash the tile. I have seen him bash walls, the refrigerator, his high chair, toys, and even the dog. I think it is a response to his frustration over lack of communication skills, but it is still annoying and not to mention painful when the intended target is the bridge of your nose. 3 times in the last few weeks (that I can remember) he has smashed me in the face/head and left me seeing stars. I seriously hope he finds a new anger outlet soon. Either that or I will be getting a nose job for Mother's Day.
What makes up for all of this is the fact that he loves to kiss. He kisses all of us, and has FINALLY started doing it closed-mouth. Up until now he would move in for a kiss with a big open mouth and would slobber on your face in his version of a kiss. 2 weeks ago he just started closing his mouth one day and making an "mmmm" sound as he presses his lips to yours. He loves to kiss all three of us, and even loves kissing the dog (which is a little gross.) We used to play a game where he would stick out his tongue and touch it to mine and I would yell in horror. Now when he kisses me he tries to shove his tongue into my mouth every so often for a reaction. Watch out Patrick! You're next on his list of people to make out with.
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