Adam's up and downs

There is never any doubt of what Adam is thinking. He is very clear about: his likes and dislikes, favorite toys, toys that aren't his but he would like anyway, when he has had enough of his car seat, high chair or stroller, etc. He is just very clear. Having said that, he is usually infectiously happy or unbelievably grumpy, with very little gray area. 


The happy comes with singing (yes, he sings), dancing, giggles, nonstop "talking," motor noises, and so on. The dark side of Adam involves crying and yelling at volumes no five year old could pull off, let alone a sixteen-month old, an enormous fat bottom lip, unrelenting tears, and self abuse. That's right, he intentionally causes harm to himself... and we are not talking about a light pat to get attention. But rather a smack in the head or face, a direct collision with a hard object (side of play pen, wall, highchair tray), or he will get down on the ground and slam his head on the floor. We've attempted to rehabilitate him and anger management interventions (usually involving pillows and padding), but I guess he is just going to have to grow out of this stage on his own because in addition to getting really mad about the smallest and strangest things, he is also incredibly stubborn and currently unwilling to change his ways.


Alan has mentioned several times that he wanted to get one of Adam's outrages on video for later use, both entertainment and blackmail. On this particular day (6.22.11), Adam woke up on the wrong side of the crib and there was no going back. In the first video he tore his highchair and kept attempting to stick his fingers in the hole and stretch it out. You get to see what happens when Adam gets corrected... the lip pops out and instant tears, then, depending on the severity of the situation, queue the slaps. He's a testy little bugger...

In this video Adam was already a little worked up after he was told he could not have my hamburger, so when I did not respond to his liking when he requested the fork, he got a little upset. I should also mention that he has two molars coming in right now and that seems to escalate and speed up his anger cycle. 

And just so you are not left with sad feelings and CPS on speed dial, here's Adam earlier that afternoon playing in his playpen. This, believe it or not, is how he is most of the time... a big goober who loves to play and entertain us. He currently enjoys pointing out his anatomy, experimenting with new noises (primarily motor  sounds and screaming), and tormenting Aaron in ways only he can get away with. He loves to eat, sleep, and run around. His new best friend is Puppy, a dalmatian from the same genre as Aaron's Doggie, who now sleeps with him and accompanies him on car rides. 

Side note, I am aware of the title errors... I have tried three times to correct them and my program is not cooperating right now, so I will go back and fix it later. It has no effect on the video itself.