Toddling Along

Since my little one woke up early today and I am at work super early, I thought I would post an update. Callum has entered the world of toddlers in two ways since his birthday. The first way was by taking his first steps on May 5. Iain brought him home from daycare and set him down on his feet in the kitchen. Callum walked right over to me! He definitely takes his time and really prefers to hold onto a finger or two when walking, but he can go it alone. He knows that if he wants to get to something really fast that crawling is the way to do it, but he's enjoying his new ability to step out on his own. Sometimes Callum gets so excited with walking, he makes a head dive towards the person or thing he is walking to. It's been fun so far watching him with his new found independence. The second way he has become a toddler is by throwing tantrums! Yes, at age one, Callum has thrown himself on the floor and bawled over things like not being able to play with the door handle (because Mommy has to hold him while doing it), not being allowed to pull on the ceiling fan cords (because Mommy has to hold him while doing it) and not being able to sit on the counter in the kitchen sticking his fingers in the dishwater (because Mommy has to hold him while doing it). Are we seeing a pattern? I didn't think that the tantrums would come so soon but according to the many sources I have been referencing, this is totally normal! So much for the terrible twos. Overall, he's not been unpleasant but if there is something he wants or wants to do and he can't, he gets so ANGRY. Thank goodness I've ordered my latest parenting book, The Happiest Toddler on the Block. I'm learning about the "Fast Food Rule" and "Toddlerese", which are ways to handle the behavior that comes from a child between one and four years old. I'll let you know how it goes, especially if it works! Bring on the tantrums! Okay- not really.