I don't know who came up with the term "terrible twos" because in our experience the twos had absolutely NOTHING on the threes. I'm sure that having to adjust to a new baby has had something to do with it, but there has been an overload of back-talking, refusing, screaming, defying, and even kicking, hitting and pushing.

The other day I was feeding Dane and pumping and Will was doing something that he wasn't supposed to be doing. I asked him to stop. He ignores me. I tell him to stop again. He tells me he doesn't want to stop. I let him know if he doesn't stop that he's going to get a time-out. He said (in nastiest, whiniest voice imaginable) "I don't waaaant to stop" (ugly face and glare at me) Me: Go. Time-out. Now. He yells "I don't waaant a time-out!" and picks up a shoe and throws it in my direction. Ok, these are always the most difficult moments as a parent. What I want to do is...well...something not in the parenting books. So I take a deep breath and tell him that I'm going to spank his bottom if he doesn't go to time-out right now. And then the kicker... He says "You're not going to stop pumping." The look I gave him must have told him that I absolutely would stop pumping because he started scooting backwards towards the time-out bench.

And the drama! The other day Will was in a mood and it seemed like everything led to whining and fake crying. He walked over to Dane, who was in the swing in the kitchen, and bent over to get in his face. Dane kicked his legs in and out, like all babies do when they're excited, and Will dramatically fell backwards onto the floor. The scrunched up face. The bottom lip out. "HE KICKED ME!!!!"

Today we had to purchase all of the tile for the house. After at least 30 minutes of Will being a little too wild for our liking and us constantly telling him to stop, put it down, he started digging in things on the shelves. I told him his boundaries... (you can play with these sponges, but not with any of these sharp tools. They're dangerous.) He gets the sharp tools out. Luke and I tell him to put them away. He doesn't. Luke removes the sharp tool from his hand and he swats away Luke's hand. I'm not sure exactly what escalated from there but all I know is I ended up putting him in the cart and we tried to ignore his crying. The screaming starts. The screeching. Then he starts turning around in the cart and grabbing Dane. Threats to take him out to the car. Screaming. Threats to spank his bottom. Screaming. So I leave Luke to make the final decisions regarding the tile and take the boys out to the car. All the way Will is crying and screaming "I DON'T WANT A SPANKING!! (sobbing, tears and snot streaming down his face) I DON'T WANT A SPANKING! all the way out. Of course everybody was staring at us.

Today was one of those days that my patience had completely run out. I found myself chanting "just get through the day. just get through the day." Yes, the two's had nothing on the three's.