My baby is becoming a child, and all I can say is "Thank God!"
I know that sounds bipolar, considering most the time I'm lamenting the swiftness of time and trying to figure out how to make it stop and keep Princess #4 a baby forever.
BUT. There are a few things about having a baby that I won't miss all that much. And for those things, I'm thankful that we are entering the toddler stage.
Words, for example. Princess #4 is opinionated. Oh, does she have an opinion. And wow does she like to express it. Which is quite frustrating for all of us when her expression is limited to screaming and screeching. Not that it's ideal to have a small child yelling "NO!" at you all the time either, but at least now I know for sure where she stands. Besides, have you seen a small child the size of your thigh yell "No!" over and over? It's pretty stinkin' funny. At least the first few times.
And sleep. This is a no-brainer right? The one thing that consumes new parents from the moment their blessed bundled is handed to them. Precious sleep. Oh how happy I am to leave behind the nights of waking 2-3 (or in Princess #2's case, 4-5) times a night. Of course, I'm still up a few times a night, but that's due to my own neurosis and obsession with checking on the princesses while they sleep.
And my favorite part of the baby-turning-into-a-child stage? They actually do what you ask, most of the time. Can you pick up your toy? Sure! Will you throw this in the trash? Off she goes running (to the sink, rather than the trashcan, but hey, I'll take what I can get). There's something about obeying that I think is appealing to a not quite baby anymore, when they're given a big kid task. Unfortunately, this stage passes in a flash and before I know it she'll suddenly develop selective hearing and all my requests will fall on deaf ears. Until then...
My friends, do you have a stage of babyhood (or not quite babyhood) that you love the most?
My girls are six and eight, so they're almost totally self-sufficient and for me, this is a much easier stage! However, I do miss the adorable baby voice (baby talk in an eight year-old is not adorable) and cute little waddling stage. We have a video of our six year old waddling down the hall naked when she was 18 months and I swear I could watch it over and over and never grow tired of just how darn cute she was! So my favorite stage was 1 to 18 months. The toughest age was 3 and 4. I would have been happy skipping right over those years....
ReplyDeleteBTW, love your tagline - while we only have two girls we also navigate the world one meltdown at a time! (:
Love your header and your site is great. How do you stay so thin with 4 kids??
ReplyDeleteJust became a follower. Follow me back please at www.TheLetsTalkMom.com.
See you there,
Bianca
I loved it when my girl got the point of being helpful- especially picking up her own toys!! I am so ready for my son to hit that mark!
ReplyDeleteThough I do miss the very short phase he went through, when he just loved sitting in my lap and relaxing with me, watching a cartoon or reading a book. He still does it once and while now, but it has become more and more rare.
So cute! I love that my littlest one can follow some directions, too. Although he's REALLY good at selective hearing...and he's not even two! (I say he learned it from his big sister...or his dad. Probably his dad, actually.)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite age used to be newborn, but I think I may have changed to 2. I know, I know...the "terrible twos", but they aren't nearly as terrible as the threes! They're still baby enough to want to cuddle and be held and babied occasionally, but if you have to put them down, you can (somewhat) rationalize with them.
Funny...we don't have problems with trash in the sink, we have problems with dishes (and anything else!) in the trash!!
ReplyDeleteHA! I love it, totally going through that now.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to let you know that I truly enjoy your blog. Having three girls it's neat to read a mommy blog who is also raising girls, well 4 of them, wow I so admire you!
I would like to present you with the "Versatile Blogger" award!
Go here to accept your award:
http://peacefulislandmother.yolasite.com/index/i-won-a-blog-award-whoot-
Yep, I can relate. Its more the weird place between baby and toddler that I like when its over. Baby = awesome. Toddler = awesome. Transition between the two = disaster.
ReplyDeleteThat is so funny, Garrett used to throw trash in the sink too!
ReplyDeleteI am loving the play on their own and wants of independence instead of needing to be glued to my hip at all times. :-)
ReplyDelete