Here comes trouble

I returned home from a trip last night eager to see my boys.  The weather was beautiful so we headed out to the park and then grabbed some dinner.  The Kid declared that it was "Nana and Papa Tiiiiiiimmmmmeeee" on the way home so we hopped on Readeo and let Nana and Papa e-babysit him read to him for a bit.  Finally after a bath, snuggles and more books, I tucked him in and said goodnight. 
 
Normally there is some whining as he winds down but that is about it until morning.  Note I said "normally." 
 
I had just begun thumbing through a cookbook in the kitchen when Jeff commented "what was that?"  Two seconds later The Kid runs into the kitchen signing and saying "AWAKE!" 

Oh boy.  We've clearly begun a whole new phase.

Chocolate Tall Cakes

My dad came over for a birthday dinner so I made these vegan cupcakes (don't tell him they were vegan). 

It was a winning recipe on Cupcake Wars so I figured they had to be good and they are totally adorable with their little muffin top hats.  Unfortunately I couldn't get the frosting to turn out right so I made a batch of the Fluffy Vegan Buttercream from "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World".  The cake was a little drier than I would have liked so I'll check them at 18 minutes next time.  But I like the combination of fresh berries, buttercream and chocolate cake.  I mean, what's not to like?  The Kid devoured his in about 2 seconds of course.  I couldn't get him to pause for a photo so we just had to take one with his fork in his mouth.

Happy birthday Dad!  And happy anniversary Jeff - I can't believe it's been 16 years already!

Mood swings

After a brief respite, the tantrums have returned.  The Kid is happy as a clam one second and whining/crying/flailing the next.  Tonight we endured a doozy.  We went to the store and he picked out birthday cards for Papa and Auntie Michelle (I'm sure the recipients will enjoy his interesting choices).  And we got in the car and headed for home without complaint.  But as soon as I mentioned that he would have a bath when we got home, he started crying and whining.  Keep in mind that he likes baths so I had no idea that this would cause such a fit.  Based on his repeated whines for "Auntie Shell" and "Papa" and "Biiiiiiiirrrrrthdaaaaay" I realized that he thought we were going to see Papa and Auntie Michelle and have a birthday party.  Darn it.  After several time outs interspersed with more whining and crying, he finally had a fun bath and is now happily getting ready for bed. 

While I don't want to under-sell my hatred of the tantrums, the harder part for me is not holding a grudge.  Once he has a change in activities, he is instantly sweet as pie.  But I'm still reeling from the drama.  I honestly don't know how he changes moods so darn quickly!  I just hope this tantrum phase ends soon because I'm getting whiplash from the mood swings.