Whining. Mood swings. Crying. Clinging - "Mommy, pick up me!" 'Uncooperativeness'.
Miss C-Jaz's 'off' behavior all morning could not be helped with routines, limited choices, limits, tantrums, safe environments, and time-outs. Nothing changed. Not much was different though it didn't help that she was startled by the loud drilling she heard in the apartment next door. The sound didn't last, and I turned on her favorite song, Kiss the Girl by Ashley Tisdale, to cover up the sound, but the first time Miss C-Jaz heard the drill she ran-jumped onto me, her voice shook and she cried. It was cute and funny, but I felt bad for her. I remember feelings like that.
The only thing I could think of that contributed to a rough morning was her off night of crying. Crying because she thought I was asking her to say sorry about something. It took awhile before she let herself fall asleep so that I could put her down without more crying. I guess some things are just hard to understand when it comes to toddlers who can have difficulties expressing themselves though Miss C-Jaz can express herself very well.
Each person from birth to adulthood develop differently, and early child development have important milestones that can be identified. Growth and development, especially for children, are specific to each individual. An article I was reading on ParentsCanada.com by Cathie Sondergaard on Speech and Language Development in Infants and Young Children describes milestones from birth to 5 years. It has interesting examples that I've done unconsciously to help build Miss C-Jaz's speech and language development since birth.
At 24 months, children may be speaking in two- and three-word phrases. For Miss C-Jaz, according to the article, she's actually exhibiting milestones at the 3 year old mark. She's talking in 5-word sentences or more. She asks lots of questions, and her speaking is fairly clear. She may say things like 'hangaber' for hamburger or leave out certain letters in words like 'peety' for pretty', but a good listener can understand her. She definitely understands a lot of what adults say to her though she might not respond right away because of shyness. She can also point, label, and describe pictures of people and things that she knows whether in books or out in public.
This is actually reassuring to know that what I do with Miss C-Jaz and how we do things with her is helping her grow as she needs. Thankfully, she's napping as I write, and hopefully she gets a good rest so that the afternoon and evening are less like this morning and more of how our days are usually like: fun, pleasant, productive, outgoing, silly.... Maybe I can catch a zzz or two after last night's restlessness. (Nevermind...she just woke with a, "Hi, Mommy!" Not to mention a couple of her farts that she laughed at.)
Resources for "Speech and Language Development":
Language Development CHART: 6 months to 8 years
Speech and Langauge Development Milestones: Q&A and Interactive Checklists (Birth to 5 years)
Dalyed Speech or Language Development SCENARIO
