Apparently we should mark our calendars for the next fourteen years. We need to grab a fat red marker and write CHALLENGING across January. For four years running, January has been "challenging." And by "challenging," I mean OMG! This kid!

Alexis is, generally speaking, an easy to get along with kid. She's mostly good, complete with a side of sassy. The thing is, she likes to express all that is impossible about a particular age nonstop for about a month before she actually is that age. Every year has been the same.

Right before she turned one, she thought it would be GREAT FUN to carry out the whole One Year Olds are Insane Plan. All the new-found independence and lack of concern for safety that you expect of a one-year old was bottled up for Alexis, and she dumped that sucker out all. at. once. Walking through a parking lot with her was like trying to hold a spastic Frogger's hand as you drag him kicking and screaming to the safety of the log on the other side of the river. Only, Frogger doesn't want your help because he thinks he would look spectacular splattered on the front of that semi. Oh, and he plans to scream "PLEASE CALL CYS! I'M BEING ABUSED!" Just for fun.

A whole month. Impossible. And then, all of sudden, it stopped and the kid was almost human again. Sure, she still had her I'm Feeling One moments, but not that frequently.

Then there was the month before two. "Terrible" would be an understatement. Imagine a whole year's worth of terrible concentrated into one short month. THAT. THAT is what we survived. And then two itself was actually pretty damn fun.

Three was the same thing. Everybody who has been there will say that three is WAY worse than two, and that it is. When you concentrate all of its drama and whining and general buttheadery into one month? It's a miracle no lives were taken. Truly.

And now here we are on the cusp of four. I know that we just have to hang in there, be consistent, and scare the rotten out of her with lots of love. All the fun that four can bring is right there, just waiting for us. If we survive this month.

That's a big if.