Life with Levi
Mommy versus Levi
By Amanda Olson

It’s so hard to believe that my energetic, giggly, yet sometimes whiney, little boy is the same cuddly bundle of joy that I gave birth to three years ago today.

Up until I became a mom, I never realized how short a period of time that three years actually is. I also never realized how much can change in that same amount of time.

Watching Levi grow has no doubt been the most rewarding experience of my life. Every time he learns something new, I feel pride beyond anything that I’ve ever felt.

Sure, there are times when pride is replaced by other feelings such as frustration, and occasionally anger, but in the long run, those emotions pass in the blink of an eye, and I’m back to being the proud, gushy mommy that I always am.

Recently it seems like he’s learning so fast that he should be graduating from high school in a week or so. And of course, with learning comes independence… and rebellion.

I’ve always heard about terrible two, but honestly, I believe that three is worse by a long shot… And today is his third birthday! Every day he tests me more, pushes his limits more, and makes me a little bit crazier.

I swear that when Levi hears the word ‘no,’ he actually hears me saying, “Go ahead and keep doing what you’re doing until I start really yelling and threaten you with a time-out. Then stop.”

The word ‘no’ is now met with ornery grins, and I swear I can hear the little wheels in his head turning, trying to figure out how far he can go until he really gets into trouble.

All of this means that the punishments are less than threat now, which also means that Levi has had to adapt and come up with new and creative ways of getting his way.

He has started using “the lip” on a regular basis, even though this tactic only works on Grandma, and occasionally Daddy. Levi knows that this little trick doesn’t work on Mommy, but he still tries it anyway.

His newest attempt at getting out of doing things that he doesn’t want to do, like picking up toys, is telling me, “I can’t.” But he’s quickly learning that telling Mommy “I can’t” isn’t the smart thing to do. Because Mommy comes back with, “Well, if you can’t pick up – (insert name of current toy laying in the middle of the floor here) – then you probably can’t play with – (whatever new toy he wants to get out and play with instead of what’s laying in the middle of the floor) – so you’d better just sit down on the couch and rest.”

I feel as if I’m constantly in a power battle against a tiny crime boss cleverly disguised as an adorable blonde little boy!

Luckily for me, I am usually on the winning end of things. But at times, I feel like winning is still losing as I’m being glared at from the couch by a pouty-faced mini version of myself at three years old.

The sad part is that the whole three-year-old-phase is just beginning… and that means that things will most likely get worse before they get better.

Maybe I’d better invest in a flack jacket… and a good pair of sound-cancelling headphones.