There are a couple of lines from an old Counting Crows song that keep coming to mind lately:
She’ll change so suddenly
She’s just like mercury
As I adapt again to life with a three year old, I’m reminded of how unpredictable and uneven they can be. One minute, there’s a red-faced ball of anger throwing a massive tantrum on my kitchen floor. She is, of course, dressed as Sleeping Beauty in this scene. Her tiara is slightly askew and her round cheeks are wet with tears. She wants the impossible, and the fact I absolutely can’t deliver only makes her fury grow. It seems the only word she knows is “no.”
And then, moments later, she’s bright and cheerful, and she puts her sticky, pudgy hands on my face, presses her nose to mine, and says, “Lend me some sugar, I am your neighbor!” She tells me she loves me, and asks, “Are you happy at me now?”
Inevitably, I am.
She’s completely unreasonable and absolutely adorable. She’s the most challenging part of my life right now.
But, in the words of Adam Duritz:
She’s entwined in me
Crazy as can be
Yeah, but she’s alright with me
Smith Family Weblog 
Posted by Laura on March 1, 2011 at 7:16 am
That’s beautiful, Rebecca. And so is Olivia! Oh my gosh, she’s looking more like you and Katie every day!
Posted by Karyl on March 1, 2011 at 7:06 pm
Whoever coined the phrase ‘terrible twos’ was off by a year. It is definitely age 3 that is the most challenging, I think – at least until the terrible teens! Beautiful photo of Olivia! Rebecca – were you a difficult child? Whenever I complained to my Mother about one of the kids – she had absolutely no sympathy – she said I was getting just what I deserved!
Posted by Rebecca on March 1, 2011 at 11:36 pm
Funny you should say that, Karyl. I overheard my mom complaining about me to Grampa Great when I was 13 or 14. His response was, “You deserve every minute of this.” It only made me wonder what I was in for, because I can’t imagine my mom ever being as bad as I was!
Posted by Nicky on March 3, 2011 at 9:12 am
I was a wonderful child, I was only irritating around the age of 11. Apparently, Colin’s temperment comes from his father and my dad. My grandpa had 6 kids, and I asked him about my dad when he was little. “I don’t remember much, but I remember when he was 2! It was horrible!”