Toddler emotions

We went out to dinner at Perkins last night.  Your father and I questioned the sanity of our decision as daycare had informed us that you hadn't napped and that they lost your binky.  As this was the first evening your Dad took off all week, we decided to give it a shot.  You did okay through out, but towards the end you got quite cranky.  As we were leaving, you got super angry about something or other.  You yelled, you screamed, and then you hit me in the face half a dozen times or so.  When we got out of the doors, I yelled at you stating "you don't hit!", and you hit me again.  You were mad at me, and insisted that Daddy put you in the car.  Then you melded down even more when you had no binky for the car ride.  Exasperated, I drove pulled out of the parking lot with you screaming your head off.  A mile or two down the road, you suddenly stopped screaming.  We had the following conversation:


Lily:  Mommy?
Me:  Yes Lily?
Lily:  I love you.
Me:  I love you too, Lily.
Lily:  Mommy.  I'm crying.
Me:  I know you are crying.  Is it because I made you mad?
Lily:  You made me mad.
Me:  You made me mad, too.  I don't like it when you hit me.  It hurts.
Lily:  I'm sorry, Mommy.
Me:  It's okay.  I'm sorry too.

And you were fine for the rest of the car ride.  We ended up going to a park we had never been to, and had an absolute blast.  But at not even 2 years old, you are starting to get a grasp on your emotions.  I'm still blown away by how rapidly you are developing your self-understanding.  It's amazing.