The 22-month-old terror

Babycentre asks me: Does your toddler insist on climbing into her own car seat or pull things out of your hand? She'll fight harder now than ever to explore the world on her own terms. Strong opinions and rigidity are hallmarks of toddlerhood. You can avoid a tug of war by respecting your toddler's preferences and giving in on the little things. Letting her choose which jam to use on toast or which pyjamas to wear to bed will give her the sense of control she craves. The secret is to give her only options that are acceptable to you. That doesn't mean you should become a pushover to prevent tantrums...

Mira's latest addition to her vocabulary is the word po (go= get lost). So a moody Mira often dismisses us with Amma po, Acha po and Rice po. And yesterday morning, as V was trying to get her to repeat the Numbers, she grumpily said, One po.
Toddler trait 2: She hates the bib, and pulls it off and prefers to mess her frocks/tops instead with the food. (Ash never liked bibs too, so they all still look brand new.)
Toddler trait 3: There is an increasing effort to eat on her own though spoonfeeding is still our best bet to get the kids' bellies full. And also less cleaning up after.
Toddler trait 4: She now practises tit for tat - the other day she managed to hold Ash tight and sink her teeth into his tummy for daring to jump over her many a time. Both cant rest until theycan have the last say in any fight. He still manages to kick/bite/pull her hair when no one is looking.
With their nanny back in action, the kids have abandoned us to curry her affection and attention. They are forever vying with each other to climb onto her hip, so she ends up carrying each in either hip.
And their tired parents are once again enjoying a semi-relaxed life, now that there is a nanny to share the household work and baby-rearing. And eating a variety of tasty, full-fledged traditional meals once again. Move over, Maggi noodles and Quakers Oats.