On Being Two and a Half

The honeymoon is over.  The sweet little snuggle bug that was once known as Pipey, has been replaced (pratically overnight!) by a very independent and stubborn, but still very cute, two and half year old (2.5 next week)!  Here are a few snippets from life as we now know it...

Over lunch, speaking to Hadley while eating in her highchair:
Piper: "These apples are really yummy, Hadley.  What kind are they, Mama?"
Me: "Gala, Piper."
Piper: Instant whine in her voice, "Oh, I don't like Gala! I don't want these apples." Fake crying ensues.
Me:  Opening the fridge for her benefit, "Ooops, guess I was wrong, they are Fuji apples, Pipe." White lies are not below this mother. 
Piper:  "Oh, yummmmm, I like Fuji apples, Mama."  Happily crunching away.

Getting ready for bed:
Me: Trying to think one step ahead of this 2.5 year old I gave her a choice, "Do you want to wear the pink shirt or the monkey shirt under your jammies tonight?"
Piper:  Slowly digging through the drawer now, "No I want the one with the cupcake on it."
Me:  "Great choice."  Grrr, gritting my teeth. 

While trying to help Hadley complete her Valentines for school:
Me: Looking over at Piper, noticing that she is randomly putting the glitter glue cap dangerously close to her nose, "Piper, do you think that cap should go in your nose?" Asking a question always helps children think through it themselves, right?
Piper: "No." With reservation in her voice.
Me: Looking down for less than 30 seconds.
Piper:  "Its stuck, Mama!!!"  Tears are streaming down her face, and she has never looked so pathetically sad.
Me:  "Hmmm, guess that wasn't such a good idea, huh.  Its okay, we'll get it out." Assuming that it will just blow out without too much trouble...Ah, no. 
Piper:  Apparently blowing wedged it in even worse, as she is now crying SO hard she cannot breathe, and my inside laughter is quickly being replaced by panic.
Me:  "Its okay, Pippa, we'll get it out with my tweezers."  Now carrying the sobbing, snotty, plugged up independent two year old like a baby into my bathroom.  We did finally get it out, but not without a lot more tears.

After lunch, right before naptime:
Me:  Watching as Piper was testing the limits of her new stretchy dinosaur with gusto.  "Pipe, if you stretch your dinosaur too much, he might just break right apart."
Piper:  Less than 30 seconds later, "His tail breaked!"  Sobbing ensues.  First real tears, and then fake ones.  ALL the way up the stairs and into her bedroom for naps.  Then suddenly quiet... "Maybe he will grow a new tip, Mama. Let's put him in the sunshine and see if he will grow a new tip!"