It's started...

Tonight when Cory came home and I was complaining about all the trouble Gabe got into (within the last 1/2 hour). He looked at Gabe and said, "I think you're too smart for your own good, and being so smart is getting you in trouble!" And ya know what - I agree.

It seems like the more he understands, the more he knows to say and do - the more he gets into trouble. Take TIME OUT for instance:

Time out worked wonderfully for about a month. I would warn him not to do something - and tell him if he did that he would have to go sit on the couch for time out. If he did it again I would place him on the couch, go set the timer for around 2 minutes and he would sit there really feeling bad for what he did. Sometimes he's actually look like he was about to cry. When the timer would go off I would tell him that he needed to say he was sorry - he would give me a hug and kiss - and wouldn't do that thing again. He was really good about it.

Today however - not the case. He figured out that there wasn't anything holding him on the couch other than mom's guilt.

Today he was getting into the dog's water dish. He was throwing all kinds of things in it, splashing in it - making messes over and over again. I put him in time out - he laughed at me before I could even set the timer - jumped off the couch as I turned around, ran over to the water dish and did it again. This went on for quite some time - repeated a couple of times. I was SO frustrated. I said very firmly...(some could consider it yelling), "Gabe - PLEASE stop it now!" He looked at me very seriously and said, "No Mom". (and I was hoping he would get better about putting words into phrases or sentences....I am rethinking that wish)

Then he ran over to one of the drawers in the kitchen and proceeded to throw all of the lids that were in the drawer on the floor.

So he disobeys me, talks back, and creates even more messes....I am hoping and praying this isn't the trend for the next 17 years...