2... going on 16.

This is my second time writing this post. I am not happy one bit. I wrote it on the blogger app and it deleted itself somehow. This is the second time it's happened. I thought the first time was my mistake, but this time I was just adding pics to my post and it just disappeared and all that was left was my pictures. GRRRR...

Anyways, back to my original post.

First let me start by saying, those who have met Aubrey pretty much know what an easy toddler she has been. I have been told countless times how lucky I am, and I definitely agree. I am very lucky. So please don't hate me for complaining just a bit. Well I don't really want to call it "complaining", lets call it sharing.

Lately, Aubrey has started to act less and less like herself. She is full of attitude. She is moody, snarky, sarcastic, and just down right nasty at times. She tells us how she thinks it is or should be. She is just too smart for her own good.

Here are a few of her favorite phrases:

"Don't touch that. EVER!"
"Leave me alone!"
"I didn't DO ANY-thing."
"Seriously? SERIOUS-LEEE?"
"Get me _______, NOW!"
"I'm NOT listening to you. I need time out and a spanking!"
"I don't want to. EVER!."

My Mom commented yesterday that she is pretty sure Aubrey has skipped right to being a teenager. Unfortunately, I am inclined to agree. It is a constant battle at our house. She can go from being sweet as pie one second to screaming the next. (See pics below)

Sweet Aubrey...

Smiling, laughing...

Literally the very next second...

Moody Aubrey emerges.

She can turn on you in mere seconds. When she gets really worked up she ends up putting herself in time out (mostly just to get away from us, I think), and once she calms down she returns. I am really at a lose on what to do. For now I have just been trying to stay calm and ask her to rephrase what she is saying and say it in a nice tone. It works some of the time. If she is demanding something, she doesn't get it, until she apologizes and says it nicely. Lastly if those don't work and she hasn't already put herself in time out, we then put her in time out until she is calm (which only takes a couple minutes). She is really sweet and usually an awesome listener. I'd say about 10-15% of the time we get the unruly, crazy teenager. In those moments I feel I lose just a bit more of my already depleted sanity. I fear I will not have any left for when she is actually a teenager.

We may be in for a very bumpy ride.

So goes my life.