Life with a toddler is an interesting mix of terror, laughter and excitement. As Sam grows in mobility, I find myself laughing more than ever before.
She is into everything. When I am in the bathroom, she opens all the drawers and pulls out everything. Today I found her sucking on the peed-on end of a used pregnancy test. Yum. But I suppose it is better than a razor. In the kitchen, she opens all the drawers (except the chemical one, which we have tied off with a rubber band). She pulls everything out, exclaiming and squealing as though it were Capone's vault and she were an actually successful Geraldo Riviera.
She is more fun and more work than she has ever been. Restaurant trips now include a meltdown after 45 minutes. She is always on the go, always wants to be on the floor exploring. This means more falls, bumps, bruises, cuts. She currently has two big bruises on her forehead and one on her knee.
It is exhausting chasing after her and I am only 30. I cannot imagine how older parents do it. Mostly I have been lamenting my parenting skills. I keep saying I am not cut out to be the mom of a toddler. Give me the tiny ones and the big ones with conversational skills. But these whirling dervishes are too much for this lazy mom.
And then there was yesterday. Sam was at daycare while I was at home. We have some pretty upsetting things going on around here that I am not ready to talk about here yet, but suffice it to say that I was very, very upset when I dropped her off and remained so all day. I missed her more acutely than I ever have, I even considered picking her up at noon. When I did pick her up at 4:45, she crawled to me with her usual speed, lept into my arms and squeezed around my neck, while patting me with her little hands and laying her head on my shoulder. It was the most supportive thing that happened all day.
So, maybe toddlers are the best after all. Who else could give a hug like that when mommy needs it most?
In other news, R felt the new baby kick for the first time yesterday. This is right around the same time he felt it with Sam. I missed this feeling. This is my favorite part of pregnancy.
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3 comments:
I hope everything is OK. As far as chasing the toddler goes just look at it like this - extra exercise without going to the gym :-). I hope you are well!
I could have written this post myself. It's a great age, and the affection they show is so gratifying, but I think I'm more exhausted at the end of the day now, than I was when she was an up-all-night nursing infant.
PS: Whoo-Hoo for baby movement!
Gabe fell today and got a HUGE bruise on his forehead, complete with blood pooling under the surface of the skin almost instantly. It was lovely. And the screaming, oh my gosh, the screaming.
I hear you on the bumps and bruises and the NON-STOP ALL THE TIME TODDLERNESS.
Hope all is well on the home front, or hope you are at least feeling better.
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