AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHH!!!!!

Welp, Scarlett is 22 months now and we have hit the 'horror-screaming-tantrum-throwing-shit-fit phase'. I am not pleased. And apparently neither is Scarlett. She's a lunatic. It's that simple. She's a mini-maniac, no other explanation. I'm kidding (kind of) - she's still a dollie-face. But now that dollie-face has a wide hole where her sweet smile used to be and out of that hole comes a noise that is quite possibly inaudible to some animals. (I wish it were inaudible to me).

It crept up slowly - just over the past few weeks we noticed her temper becoming more and more ludicrous. She would fling herself to the ground and yell for a couple of seconds just to get her frustration out. That's fine, that's typical. But this past weekend she flung that same attitude on a breakneck escalator leaving Gregg and me speechless and knocking back Advil.

I assume it's a combination of factors that have collided at some crucial developmental peak moment to form this monstrous beastzilla. You know, her age, a growth spurt, the start of toilet training, the full moon, her distaste for macaroni and cheese, etc. Clearly a super-cell from hell. Toilet training seemed to be the starting gun for her alarming screaming fits. We started her on the toilet Friday night and she was fine... until she dropped anchor. Yeah, we were completely shocked too. She quickly went from relaxed to terrified. The next day same thing- sitting comfortably, 'reading' her books and then she peed and all hell broke loose. Since then she's refused to get anywhere near the toilet, screaming as if we were chopping her arms off - it is really unbelievable. We figured she isn't quite ready so we put that on the back burner. But now she is boycotting the bath tub. She normally LOVES baths. For two nights she's spewed blood-curdling screams while standing up repeatedly as I force her to sit back down. It's a battle of wills I am learning. She wants to control everything. Sorry, kid - that's MY m.o. If you wanna control something take over the finances for me will ya?

I have considered the possibility that she could be scared of being flushed down the toilet or sucked down the tub drain. However, this behavior shows up in "safer" areas and I know she isn't afraid of having her hands cleaned or waiting to get out of her highchair. But what can ya do? I keep telling myself every day comes to an end eventually.

Today she woke up way early and was - hmm, let's go with ill-natured. So I did what any loving mother would do, I gave her a long beaded necklace to play with. Sure, I was worried that it may break apart leaving seven thousand beads to be vacuumed up immediately before Scarlett digests them but I was willing to take that chance - and that thing has kept her occupied in so many creative ways today! Thank God for junk drawers...