14 months old!

Two days late due to packing up, cleaning our apartment, and traveling cross-country on a high-speed train...now we're in Paris for a week before we head back home.

I hear people talking about the "Terrible Twos," but my children operate on their own timetables. Zari didn't really start tantruming until she was closer to three. Dio seems to have started a year early! He is so determined to do things himself, and when he cannot, he DOES NOT LIKE IT ONE BIT. He has an instant on/off switch whenever he gets frustrated or interrupted. He emits an ear-piercing shriek and/or throws himself onto the floor crying and screaming. So we're always on our toes trying to distract him or calm him down.

He wants to walk everywhere by himself. He wants to push the stroller rather than ride in it. He wants to eat all by himself with a spoon or a fork. He wants to do what he wants, when he wants--which is impossible when there are 3 other people in the family. He hates riding in the bus. Even yesterday's train ride was a big challenge; he wanted to be walking and climbing the entire time. I'm especially worried about the cross-Atlantic ride home, but at least I will have help on the way back.

But Dio is so much fun, too. I love watching him walking around and flapping his arms with excitement, running away from me with an impish grin, giggling with Zari over a silly game they've made up. He loves balls, birds, dogs, and airplanes. He is our dog-spotter, shouting "dog! dog!" whever we pass one. He likes to play with sticks and dirt and rocks and leaves and pine needles. His vocabulary and comprehension are expanding all the time.

A brief list of his words, ones I can think of while I'm typing:

• Words he can say: dog, bird, cat, Zari ("yaya" or "zaza"), mama, more, poop, banana
• Plus words he can sign: potty, airplane, nurse,
• Plus words he understands: no, all done/all gone, Mister Monkey (his sock monkey that he snuggles with at night), food/eat, go get _____, turn around (for going down the stairs), give it to me, papa, I'm going to get you!

Sleeping has been a bit of a challenge this past month, but it's mostly due to Zari and Dio having to share a room and thus waking each other up. I just keep telling myself it's just a few more weeks and it will get better once the kids are back in their own rooms...