Auggie and the Tantrum

Auggie had his first public tantrum today. It wasn't the most horrible one ever, and I blame it partly on Miss Cheryl the storytime librarian.

Today I made my first attempt at taking Auggie and Eland to storytime at the library. We went to a new library which has just opened after renovations and is closer to our house than the one we usually go to. It also has a storytime room -with doors-, very exciting for the mom of the Active Toddler.

Apparently that room's air conditioning wasn't working this morning, so they decided to hold storytime in a closed-in grassy, outdoor pavilion. It really was the perfect, warm but not hot, sunny day to meet outside. While waiting for storytime to start, Auggie had a blast running around, jumping off the steps into the grass, and generally frolicking. Thankfully the one gate to the outdoors was closed and Auggie was safely confined.

Enter Miss Cheryl. She was super nice, had great nametags for the kids and even puppets. But then she introduced the puppets, who happened to be fortunetellers?! Why is this necessary?? Seriously, I'm not sure if we'll be going back. I digress..

Auggie enjoyed the opening songs, and even paid attention to at least half of the cat book, all the while occasionally running delightfully through the crowd of moms and kids. I stayed cool, after all, he's not even two years old yet. But then he started heading for the now open gate (why did Miss Cheryl have to open it???), and I obviously had to run after him. Despite promises that we would have to leave if he went out the gate again, he kept hightailing it for the gate. Ugggh. And at last he wouldn't even come back in!

We talked outside, and he decided that he wanted to go home. I packed up Eland and off towards the stairs we went. Enter: change of mind, crying, noodle body, refusal to move. By the time that Auggie was in full-swing tantrum he truly had no idea of what he even wanted. He
wanted to go back to storytime, he wanted to go home, he wanted to go down the stairs by himself, he wanted to lay on the sidewalk. Screaming. Limp noodle body. Finally, fed up (imagine that ;), I carried his dead weight body off to the car in one arm, and sweet little Eland in his carseat in the other arm. (workout-schmurkout, just get some kids to carry around...)

He cried the entire ride home, refused to get out of the car, refused to leave the garage and come into the house (until he accidentally slammed his foot in the door), and continued to wail until threats of being sent to bed finally convinced him that perhaps it was time to stop crying.

Of course after some crackers and a ride on his trike in the backyard he was back to his generally pleasant, amicable self. He is now napping, and even used the potty chair without much fuss before napping.

I consider myself prepped for the terrible two's.

- From My iPhone