Hello everyone! Happy Monday! It also happens to be Groundhog Day, and for whatever reason the Birmingham Groundhog decided to take the day off. I mean the guy works one day a year, and he took it off? I can only assume he is the one millionth victim of the Flupocalypse that this winter hath brought upon us. I hope he feels better soon, and as I had no other choice, I had to look up ol' Punxsutawney Phil, who saw his shadow. Again. Of course. Because he lives in Pennsylvania.
But I digress. Seeing as it is already February, we are just two short weeks out from my sweet V's 2nd birthday. This second year has been as equally a doozie as her first, although very, very different. No more are the days of snuggles, bottles, and quiet mornings. Now we live in the age where her vocal chord volume is permanently set at eleven, and time outs are an unfortunately frequent part of our day.
Still, despite all of the crazy and chaos, I'm really going to miss this special age. This year was
the year for milestones. The year she went from baby to little girl, and grew not only in inches and pounds, but she grew a voice and a sense of humor and a really hilarious wicked side. But now I would like to share with you my most valued lessons, to be taken with a grain of salt, as always.
1) Find your high ground. No, not for battles, but for keeping things out of wandering tiny hands that don't need to get in them. A designated "stuff" mantle, shelf, or cabinet is highly recommended for things like your phone, ipad, car keys, wallets, or anything of that nature. Those ten tiny pudgy fingers are faster than lightning.
2) Find your bribing weapon. In our house, a tiny pastel colored marshmallow, or "nummies" as we call them, works absolute wonders when I don't have the patience or the time to try and get my child to lay down so I can change her. This also works to get her out of the bathtub, into her chair, or anything that I generally need her to do with the least resistance.
3) Know that almost everything is just a phase. We went through a horrible time with our cars eat for a month or so, but now it's like it never happened. This too shall pass, moms.
4) Prepare to be subjected to most repetitive torture imaginable in the form of favorite movies, TV shows, songs, or books. This is the time when your kid is learning what he/she likes and doesn't like. And what she likes is probably going to be what she likes today, tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, a year from now, who knows? I've seen Mickey Mouse Three Musketeers every day for the past three weeks.
5) Never think that the above rule applies to food. What she eats today might be thrown to the ground in disgust tomorrow, and then gobbled up like it's her last meal the next day. Hang in there. Meals are one of the hardest things to have to do three times a day, every day. And giving her bologna and hotdogs twice a week because she loves them for a while isn't going to hurt anybody.
6) If you can't get them to nap, enforce a quiet time. Especially if you are staying at home with them. Everyone needs a break, including you. Little bodies need time to rest, so put them in their room with the camera going, give them a few books and shut the door. Then repeat after me: "I will NOT clean during this time." It's tempting, I know. But save that mess for when they are awake. Spend this time watching girly shows your husband doesn't like and eating a meal you don't want to share. And cookies.
7) Try your very hardest to stop comparing your toddler to everyone else's. This year will be full of leaps and bounds, and some stalls and delays. The only person worth listening to about a concern is your pediatrician.
8) And also along those lines, don't believe for a second that your child getting older and more self sufficient means you have to be ready to have another one and do it all over again. Families come in all shapes, sizes and ages. Maybe you could be baby ready tomorrow. Maybe you can't fathom the thought of going through that again yet. Or ever. Maybe you thought you were ready and then you went and had margaritas with your friends, and remembered that pregnant women can't have margaritas and maybe just one more month of waiting would be ok. Whatever your thoughts on expanding your family, it's normal, I promise. And when people ask you when you're having another one, just say something like "When we can afford diapers again, am I right?" and everyone will agree diapers are expensive and we'll all have a good laugh and it will be forgotten.
9) Kiss those chubby cheeks every single day, as much as you want, even if you have to hold them down to do it. Day by day, that baby fat goes away, and one day in the not so distant future, getting your child to kiss you will take an act of congress for a while.
10) Let them make their own decisions, within reason. It's hard when you're going on an outing, and you've picked out the perfect matching outfit with the cute shoes and bow, and she wants to wear a yellow daisies onesie with a purple tutu and green socks. Just let it happen. The look of pride on her face will be worth it alone, and these are the outfits you'll remember. And always, always take a picture.
11) Let the messes happen. Give them washable crayons and a piece of paper, and try not to cringe when they miss completely and draw on the table. It will come off. The water on the bathroom floor from the splashing will dry, as will your clothes.
12) Don't fear the "terrible two's." Obviously, we haven't reached this part yet. And honestly, it doesn't happen to all children. Some are just well behaved, laid back kids. Just think of it as the "trying two's." Their world is getting bigger and bigger, and they're learning as they go.
Besides, I hear three is much, much worse.
Haha!
Well hopefully that helps with you moms out there that are about to venture into first time toddler hood. Thanks for listening, as always.
Love,
Dominique
