Terrible Twos

Well folks, it's official.  Maddie has hit her Terrible Two's. We've been denying it for several weeks, but tonight she once-and-for-all proved she's no little angel when push comes to shove. It all started as Bella and I made cookies after dinner. We brought the stool over so Maddie could watch at counter-top level. As we mixed and poured, I handed out snacks to them both - little chocolate chips, walnuts, and grapes - to keep them engaged. Little Maddie had one taste of the sweet chocolate and wanted nothing else. I handed her a grape (her usual fruit of preference); she swatted away my hand.  When I gave her a walnut, she grabbed it and threw it across the room (great arm, by the way). Several further attempts to get her chocolate chips failed. Her desperation was growing so she climbed onto the counter, crawling and scratching for the bag of chocolate chips. My hands were dough-filled so I asked Bella to take her off the counter. Bella complied and reached for her from behind. Maddie's wailing suddenly stopped as Bella's painful wail crescendoed into a full-scale scream.  I quickly dropped the spatula and turned around to referee. 

There, Maddie stood, with Bella holding her from behind, her teeth still lodged in Bella's hand.  Maddie bit her!  And not just bit, but bit and nearly drew blood! Her incisors left deep pits in Bella's flesh. Poor Bella! Once Maddie unlatched her fangs, she looked at us with a smirk and walked away. Upon examining Bella's wound, it seemed the skin was still intact. No blood was visible. Thank goodness we didn't need to make a trip to ER for a tetanus shot.

Then I went to deal with Maddie. She was cautiously moving about the family room, trying not to attract much attention to herself. I quickly recounted the disciplining tips for effective time-outs. Get down to their eye level. Calmly explain why they're in trouble. Lead them to the time-out corner. Maddie sensed her impending doom and tried to make a quick getaway into the living room, which is precisely where I wanted her to go: into the corner, facing the wall. Of course, Maddie had other plans. She squirmed and wrestled, fiercely kicking her little legs. She fought with the ferocity of a warrior in battle, dodging my advances, and swatting off my arms. Soon, she was wailing and sobbing the most pitiful cry. My heart couldn't take it. Behind her strong will and stubbornness, she was still my baby. I scooped her up in my arms and began to soothe her. So much for discipline.

Here are some recent pictures taken of Maddie and Bella. I think it pretty much sums up the crazy antics in this household.