i have been HERE before..

oh, yes i have been here before. 3 times to be exact. 3 times i have stood on this side of the transition from babyhood to toddlerhood. from infancy into two-year oldness. from unintentionally aware of bad choices, to intentionally, defiantly aware and knowledgeable of making bad choices. from totally dependent, to deciding and wanting to be totally independent. oh, i see you coming two year old. i am no fool to your tricks. your cute baby boy mask, and i'm the baby of the family mask, have not deceived me. the signs are every where little man.

1. throwing a chip at daddy when you didn't get your way
2. yelling, "no,no,no!" when the world does not stop to watch you.
3. throwing yourself on the floor when a toy of yours is used by one of your sisters.
4. arching your back and doing the hip gyrations when i'm putting you in your car seat
5. the increase of crying without tears, whining constantly,
6. seemingly a lot more sensitive to others in your space
7. and last but not least the LOOK... oh, yes there is a two-year old look.

anderson joshua, i adore you. i love you more than i thought conceivable. but b/c of the deep, deep, love your daddy and i have for you. because of our deep, deep, longing to be obedient to our God... you will soon find out how the terrible twos will not be tolerated in the littlejohn house. we are your parents. we are in charge. you will not get away with a rotten heart and rotten behavior. your will be shown what is right, and it will be expected of you. you are far smarter and far more aware of right and wrong then most parenting books give you credit for. your heart is our concern. you have been entrusted to us, and that is THE HIGHEST calling. i promise it will not be comfortable. but i am pretty sure it will be easier taking the steps now at two, rather than at twelve.  your sweet baby boy heart needs to have someone show it where to travel, and what to avoid along the way.

remember, we've done this 3 times already. oh, we have made a plethora of mistakes. and no doubt, we will make some more. but daddy and i are refining our skills along the way... just like wine, we are getting better with time :)!! and we might all need a large glass of it at the end of the day with you transitioning. two has it's challenges and it's PURE JOYS!!

cheers!
i love you sweet boy,
~mama

literature plug:
Shepherding Your Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp
Loving Obedience by Dr. William Richardson