My toddler, translated...

When my daughter was about to turn two, friends, family, and even talkative strangers warned me about the "Terrible Twos!"  There were nights that I feared my little princess would change into a unimaginable mess when the fateful day arrived to put another candle on her cake.  They were wrong.    Instead of a terror, I was presented with a funny, creative, mini person that interacted more comprehensively with me as each day passed.  I ADORED that stage...with the exception of the unmentionable trip to Kohls shoe department that resulted in a memory to be shared at another time.  (We still have never returned to that scene seven years later).  I often would just look at her happy face as she started to express, in words I could clearly understand, what she would like to do, see, wear, or eat.  She sometimes would put up a little fuss when her requests were not met, but she saved the real explosions for the age of three.  My little man is now at this magically entertaining age.  It began on the long, one day/one car, almost nonstop, drive to Pennsylvania from southern Florida with my dad, stepmom, myself and my two children.  He decided to sweetly ask for "goofies" when we reached the Georgia border.  By the time we reached North Carolina, he was hysterical and we had frantically offered everything we thought could possibly be goofy.  At a brief stop, he grabbed the lone pack of goldfish crackers wedged out of sight under the seat of the car....goofies.  I will always remember the night I realized the toddlerese he said with a kiss after "I wuv you"at night was " my best friend."  It still makes my heart smile like when he grabbed my hand in a store, kissed it and looked so sweetly and intently at me as he called me "MY mommy."  Yes, he is a charmer at times.  Regrettably, and typical of human behavior, not all translations are so endearing.  As days pass, his toddlerese is clearing up and some other terms are surfacing.  The tirade with foot stomping and shrieks of protest before going up stairs tonight suddenly emerged as  "NO HEATHER, I WON'T DO IT!  I'M NOT GOING UP! NOT DONE YET!"  What happened to my little love bug?    For that matter, what happened to mommy...now I am Heather?  Now that he is tucked in bed, I have to smile because I know that this too will pass, and honestly, he looked darn funny.  I say two is terrific, not terrible! These kiddos still have a lot to learn, and a parent, I am still learning every day too.