Tantrums, whining...mommy's got a headache!

I look at this sweet face and I think Kate could not possibly throw loud, crazed tantrums...but, alas, she can and she does. She has been working on the art of the whine and the tantrum for a couple months now, and I think she's really starting to hone her craft (unfortunately!) Ryan and I like to think that she is just progressive, and is getting the "terrible twos" over with before she's one and a half, but I'm guessing that's just wishful thinking. She threw her first public tantrum in REI on our way down to Yreka. Ryan and I wanted to do a bit of Christmas shopping, but Kate was not liking sitting in the cart. After five hours in the car, I can't say I blame her. So, I let her out and quickly discovered that she wouldn't just stand by me like she used to do just weeks ago. No, she tore around the store like a Tasmanian devil unleashed. At first it was funny, especially when she saw all the rows of bikes and exclaimed, "BIK-A, BIK-A, BIK-A!!" I was literally out of breath chasing her (I must have run a few miles circling that store, I swear). It was going fine until I wouldn't let her touch all the grown-up books (i.e. books with pages that rip). She got SO mad and started screaming at the top of her lungs. Ryan said he heard her from across the store and thought, "yep, that's my kid." We made a beeline for each other because, of course, I'd left the car keys with him. Then I made a very ostentatious exit from the store. There was a huge armored truck outside, so Kate immediately ceased the tantrum, but I was practically sweating with embarrassment! Oh well, I knew it would happen one day and now the first one's out of the way. I know that most of her whining is just frustration since she can't communicate what she wants. She clearly knows what she's saying, but I have trouble deciphering it sometimes. To her credit, I have seen improvement in just the last couple days, as she is able to say new words every day. She's also getting good at showing me what she wants when she gets frustrated. She's starting to copy everything I say which, I hope, means easier days are ahead....of course, it also means Ryan and I have to start watching what we say!!