This week has been...a challenge.
Toddlerhood. It's hard. It's also amazingly rewarding. But hard. This isn't new to anyone though who's parented a toddler. This also isn't new to anyone who hasn't parented a toddler (because we parents sure talk about it enough, don't we?) So I'll just give you a small (and hopefully humorous) peak into my life with a 14 month old.
Morning: I hear the baby monitor. I honestly can't really complain here, since usually I don't hear a peep until sometime after 9. I should just skip this morning part but ever since Mira has turned 1, she has very little interest in smiling until she's had her 'baba'. I bring her downstairs into the kitchen and set her on the floor while I make her bottle. Mira cries big fat giant tears that make me feel like the worst mama ever while I will the microwave to countdown faster. Finally I get that bottle popped into her mouth, but only after her face has turned splotchy red and her nose is running. I've never had an addiction to coffee, but from the looks of it, Mira will be one of those "don't speak to me until I've had my cup," kind of people. I don't get this. Once my eyes are open...I'm ready to jump into anything. And make a plan for the day. And get started on that plan. Mira and I are going to rumble in the mornings as she gets older, I'm sure of that.
Afternoon: After that morning baba, Mira plays while we usually listen to/watch tv. Mira makes sure that our pan cabinet gets properly rearranged, and all of the pot lids are in my living room. She probably wonders why I keep putting them back in the cabinet. I wonder why she takes them all to the living room. The game never ends... ;-)
And then....the nap. There is this very short time span where a toddler goes from "I'm sleepy" to "I'm so exhausted and don't-you-dare-put-me-in-that-torture-chamber-you-call-a-crib." At least that's how my toddler is. That time span is maybe 30seconds. (Okay, maybe more.) Thankfully, I usually figure things out before she hits that later stage butif when there's a day where I miss it...like this past Friday...that's usually game. Mira has won, mommy has lost. At that point it's a struggle to get her to take a nap, period.
After the nap (if it's successful), unless we go to the zoo or to visit friends, most of the rest of the day is usually spent playing. And by playing I mean Mira tries to get her hands on absolutely anything that she's not supposed to have. Pens, pencils, books, scissors, nail polish, remote controls (to change all of the tv settings of course), buttons, shoes, silverware...you name it, she's touching it. She has approximately 1,783,961 toys in our home. Those bright, attractive colors that they make all toys in these days? Yeah...unless it's shaped like a fork or a bottle of poison, Mira's not interested. I just read a blog post about the second year of raising your child and that it's all about making sure they don't kill themselves.
I see exactly what they mean by that.
Bedtime: Before having kids, I always pictured bedtime as this sweet, soft, tender time where parents and child bond. Baby has freshly washed hair and smells like lavender as mom and dad choose a book together and lovingly look at the pictures and talk about the story.
I have three words: ha. ha. ha.
Mira many times gets a bath after eating lunch (she's learning to use silverware), so we no longer have a freshly bathed baby in the evening. We're all pretty tired that late anyway, so it's for the best. At about the time Mira starts rubbing her eyes (again, another narrow window of getting her to sleep or all hope is lost), I choose two books for bedtime. One big, one small. The small is for Mira to hold while I read the big one to her.
I wish this girl enjoyed this part of the evening. What reading consists of for us: laying Mira in our bed as I open up the book I've chosen. Knowing what's to come after reading, Mira flips over onto her belly and crawls all over the bed like a crazy person while crying more big fat giant tears as I try to read to/show/soothe her. After I finish reading the book to Jamey (he's the only one paying any attention), we lay Mira in her crib and say night night. After that she usually cries for a little while until she falls asleep.
It's like a Norman Rockwell painting up in this house. :-D
Although everything I say is true, it's not meant to sound as though raising a toddler is the most horrible thing in the world. It's really not. What I didn't include tonight is the amount of smiles, giggles, and kisses I get from this beautiful girl on any given day. I do share those on Facebook though, and that's why I get so many compliments on having the most smiley baby ever. Mira really is good-natured, and for that I am ever so thankful. But this super happy toddler is just that...a toddler. Our lives are not picture perfect, and are definitely a far cry from anything Norman Rockwell would paint.
I thank God for my little wild child. I thank Him for the sticky fingers, the squashed banana in the hair, the fingerprints on my clean appliances. I thank Him for the husband who comes home after work, the small voice that shouts "Da-da!" when he arrives, and the playtime they get together. I thank Him for the toothy grins, the baby babble, and the temper tantrums.
Okay, I'm not as thankful for the tantrums.
Some days being thankful is hard, whether or not you're parenting a toddler. Although I do not have a perfect record at expressing my gratitude, I am grateful my God has a perfect record at expressing how much He loves me.
Here's to choosing thankfulness in the midst of challenges. <3
Toddlerhood. It's hard. It's also amazingly rewarding. But hard. This isn't new to anyone though who's parented a toddler. This also isn't new to anyone who hasn't parented a toddler (because we parents sure talk about it enough, don't we?) So I'll just give you a small (and hopefully humorous) peak into my life with a 14 month old.
Morning: I hear the baby monitor. I honestly can't really complain here, since usually I don't hear a peep until sometime after 9. I should just skip this morning part but ever since Mira has turned 1, she has very little interest in smiling until she's had her 'baba'. I bring her downstairs into the kitchen and set her on the floor while I make her bottle. Mira cries big fat giant tears that make me feel like the worst mama ever while I will the microwave to countdown faster. Finally I get that bottle popped into her mouth, but only after her face has turned splotchy red and her nose is running. I've never had an addiction to coffee, but from the looks of it, Mira will be one of those "don't speak to me until I've had my cup," kind of people. I don't get this. Once my eyes are open...I'm ready to jump into anything. And make a plan for the day. And get started on that plan. Mira and I are going to rumble in the mornings as she gets older, I'm sure of that.
Afternoon: After that morning baba, Mira plays while we usually listen to/watch tv. Mira makes sure that our pan cabinet gets properly rearranged, and all of the pot lids are in my living room. She probably wonders why I keep putting them back in the cabinet. I wonder why she takes them all to the living room. The game never ends... ;-)
And then....the nap. There is this very short time span where a toddler goes from "I'm sleepy" to "I'm so exhausted and don't-you-dare-put-me-in-that-torture-chamber-you-call-a-crib." At least that's how my toddler is. That time span is maybe 30seconds. (Okay, maybe more.) Thankfully, I usually figure things out before she hits that later stage but
After the nap (if it's successful), unless we go to the zoo or to visit friends, most of the rest of the day is usually spent playing. And by playing I mean Mira tries to get her hands on absolutely anything that she's not supposed to have. Pens, pencils, books, scissors, nail polish, remote controls (to change all of the tv settings of course), buttons, shoes, silverware...you name it, she's touching it. She has approximately 1,783,961 toys in our home. Those bright, attractive colors that they make all toys in these days? Yeah...unless it's shaped like a fork or a bottle of poison, Mira's not interested. I just read a blog post about the second year of raising your child and that it's all about making sure they don't kill themselves.
I see exactly what they mean by that.
Bedtime: Before having kids, I always pictured bedtime as this sweet, soft, tender time where parents and child bond. Baby has freshly washed hair and smells like lavender as mom and dad choose a book together and lovingly look at the pictures and talk about the story.
I have three words: ha. ha. ha.
Mira many times gets a bath after eating lunch (she's learning to use silverware), so we no longer have a freshly bathed baby in the evening. We're all pretty tired that late anyway, so it's for the best. At about the time Mira starts rubbing her eyes (again, another narrow window of getting her to sleep or all hope is lost), I choose two books for bedtime. One big, one small. The small is for Mira to hold while I read the big one to her.
I wish this girl enjoyed this part of the evening. What reading consists of for us: laying Mira in our bed as I open up the book I've chosen. Knowing what's to come after reading, Mira flips over onto her belly and crawls all over the bed like a crazy person while crying more big fat giant tears as I try to read to/show/soothe her. After I finish reading the book to Jamey (he's the only one paying any attention), we lay Mira in her crib and say night night. After that she usually cries for a little while until she falls asleep.
It's like a Norman Rockwell painting up in this house. :-D
Although everything I say is true, it's not meant to sound as though raising a toddler is the most horrible thing in the world. It's really not. What I didn't include tonight is the amount of smiles, giggles, and kisses I get from this beautiful girl on any given day. I do share those on Facebook though, and that's why I get so many compliments on having the most smiley baby ever. Mira really is good-natured, and for that I am ever so thankful. But this super happy toddler is just that...a toddler. Our lives are not picture perfect, and are definitely a far cry from anything Norman Rockwell would paint.
I thank God for my little wild child. I thank Him for the sticky fingers, the squashed banana in the hair, the fingerprints on my clean appliances. I thank Him for the husband who comes home after work, the small voice that shouts "Da-da!" when he arrives, and the playtime they get together. I thank Him for the toothy grins, the baby babble, and the temper tantrums.
Okay, I'm not as thankful for the tantrums.
Some days being thankful is hard, whether or not you're parenting a toddler. Although I do not have a perfect record at expressing my gratitude, I am grateful my God has a perfect record at expressing how much He loves me.
Here's to choosing thankfulness in the midst of challenges. <3
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