Who made 2 so terrible?

Oh my goodness, as I write this, it has been quite an AUGUST with Michael. The past 3 days have been particularly rough which is why it is on my mind. I know that everyone warns you about the "terrible twos" but all I can say is WOW. Up until now, we have had some rough patches here and there but in the past 2 weeks, it's become a whole new game...and I don't like this game! I don't know how to play this game!

This child can go from 0 to 150 in no time flat. The whining/wailing/screeching sessions are getting loooonger and my patience is getting, well, non-existent. Michael's mood is just really, um, MOODY. It starts at breakfast (or sometimes as soon as we come downstairs) - and it continues thru until nap-ah, blessed sleep! But then we just pick up right where we left off. Don't get me wrong, he does play, he does laugh, he does seem to enjoy parts of his day. But the morning is VERY loooong and that hour before dinner is RIDICULOUS. The late afternoon is a tough time for Liam too so they are both competing for Olympic Gold in whining. As we approach bedtime, Michael does seem to settle and for that I am very thankful!

I just feel like I don't handle things as consistently as I would like to....and I lose patience all too quickly. And then I am a rambling idiot. So I know what I SHOULD be doing in terms of consequences and such...if I could do them in a consistent way, I know it would help because we have had some successful moments. My question is...how do I keep my cool so I can implement a consistent plan?? That is my question.

I can handle the shorter, sporadic temper tantrums... but once there has been that ongoing whining and wailing, I am just done. I think it gives me flashbacks to the time when Michael had colic as an infant. It lasted about 3-4 months but had a definite impact on me and my ability to tolerate long periods of crying. Liam was never in the colic zone but anytime he cried for an extended period of time, I would feel that anxious, panic-type feeling creeping up on me. And I would immediately seek help/support because I knew that I needed to reach out to others so that I didn't completely fall apart. It might sound like I am being dramatic but that was a tough time. I think that the infant colic experience was my toughest parenting challenge to date...but the terrible twos are quickly gaining ground.

Hopefully, we can find some tricks to help us thru this because Round 2 of the terrible 2's will happen again next year with Liam...oh that's scary! Aside from wanting to keep my own sanity (and not feel like I am constantly saying "no", "stop", "you're getting a time out", etc.), I just want to know that Michael has joy in his everyday life. It's so sad when he is so out of sorts. While he can certainly work me over- just like all of our little angels can- there are times that I can see he doesn't even know what to do with himself. If I actually leave my "anonymous" blogging status behind some time soon, perhaps someone will read this and I can get some good advice? We'll see...