the terrible twos

i think i've figured out what makes the twos so terrible, why they're so whiny and prone to melt downs: it's lack of sleep. i figure this because it's definitely what's causing me to feel whiny and be prone to melt downs. my oldest daughter, while i love her dearly, is about to drive me insane with this whole sleeping thing. she used to be so good at it. when it came to naps and bed time there was never a debate or argument about it. it was just accepted that it needed to happen so we made the best of it. we read a few books, played with some toys, sang danced around...then she would very quietly crawl into bed and went to sleep. the past couple of weeks, noe has been skipping naps, staying up too late (not because i let her but because she refuses to stay in bed), and getting up earlier and earlier. last night, she finally went to sleep at 10pm. she got up this morning while daddy was getting ready for work, which had to have been around 7. usually, she would get up between 8 and 8:30, take a two hour nap after lunch, and be in bed at 8:30pm. this system has worked well for a long time, and it's one that her sister has adopted as well. this new system...well, it's not going to work out for me. and it's definitely made me whiny and capable of frustrated melt downs.