why must they turn 2???

For any of you that know Lake, you would agree that he is one of the most sweet tempered, easy going children you've ever met. Or at least, he was. Lake is almost 2.5 and I was really hoping that he had skipped the dreaded terrible two's altogether. Besides a few testing moments, we haven't had much trouble with him, and then a couple of weeks ago, the whining and crying and questioning and general headache inducing behavior started and I thought, "no!!!! Not Lake too!!!!!". But yes, the two year old drama has him in a firm grip. I want to know what happens to their previous personality, the one they had before the two takes hold. will I see it again someday or is it permanently tempered by this stage? I'm still waiting to see the old Kai again. He's not the two year old Kai anymore, but he's not the 15 month child who was emerging before he hit 18 months (yes, he started the terrible two's early) and we slid into the "stages" (the thistooshallpass everyonewilltellyouitsjustastage endlessness of stages!). I do have a little more patiants with the drama this time around, and it's easier for me to walk away from (which is why Lake sat on the floor of his room crying this morning while Kai, Reece, and I went about our business), but my heart actually hurts when they day is long and hard and all I can think of is how very pleasant he was to be around just a couple of weeks ago. Ah well.... Here's too surviving the terrible two's.... Again