Time for a Random List: The Top 5 Highlights of a Day Spent with a Two-Year-Old

So, the nibble turned two on Saturday. It's hard to believe it's been two years since he stole our hearts that blustery - and blizzardy - December afternoon. I was having trouble deciding on the better post to commemorate the occasion: sentimental thoughts on his growing up or tips on how to deal with the terrible twos.

But I decided to take it in a different direction. The truth is, the nibble entered his terrible two phase soon after turning one. And while I do not dare suggest that we are done with tantrums, he seems to be learning how to calm himself down more quickly as of late.

The nibble and I spend most of our days together, since I'm fortunate enough to have a career that allows me to do the bulk of my work when he's napping, when he's still asleep in the morning or goes to bed at night, when he's at the neighbor's or with my parents, and when the hubby's home from work. And while some ... most ... some days I'm about ready to pull out my hair by the time the hubby gets home, there is definitely no shortage of hilarious and rewarding moments in our day.

How to Land Your Kid in Therapy

My dad saved me this article ("How to Land Your Kid in Therapy") from the July/August issue of The Atlantic. A lot of food for thought, especially for someone who's only been doing the mom thing for 18 months and just now really getting into actual child rearing, as opposed to infant parenting, which is comprised primarily of diaper, safety, playtime and feeding duties.

Basic premise: Many parents today are so focused on "making their kids happy" that the children grow up without knowing how to deal with disappointment, defeat or life in general, and therefore, find themselves to be unhappy adults. She discusses a wide range of contributing factors, from the increasingly popular unscored soccer and pee week basketball games to running over to pick up and coddle your toddler the second he falls down.

Weekend in Margate: Junior's Donuts and Dogs

The little guy woke up early on July 4th. Evidently, kids don't understand the concept of sleeping in on vacation. The wife is still recovering from a slight bout of strep throat, so after struggling to get Saucy Jr. back to sleep, I decided to get him out and about instead. So although we were roughly a mile and a half away, I decided to walk him to Junior's Donuts and Dogs. We headed down Atlantic Avenue, passing Lucy the Elephant. We waved a quick Hello, but kept on cruising. I didn't know if Junior's would accept card so we stopped at a local Wawa, parking the stroller in an area that seemed specially designated for bikes and baby pushers. After hitting the ATM - braving a possible upbraiding for assuming the burden of a withdrawl fee - we moved on along our journey toward sugary sustenance. After a few more blocks (and a lot more sweat accumulation), we arrived at our destination. I removed the Sauce from his wheeled chariot and we waited in line with the other patrons, many of which became locked in involuntary staring matches with a hungry toddler. When it was my turn to order, I didn't hesitate*: Two large, chocolate strewn chocolate donuts, a sizeable chocolate milk, and a Diet Coke for myself (as if a lengthy walk had not already woken me up). I gathered up some napkins (surprised I remembered them) and all of the goods and walked over to find a seat. Most of the tables on their premises were taken or in too close of a proximity to other customers. I am not a social animal. So I looked for other options. And there it was. An open park bench...