Toddlerhood: It's a Journey

Realizing I am now the mother of a toddler is both a challenging and amazing journey.

It comes on swiftly, stealing into our once baby filled moments with a new discovery, new sound, new motion. 

It leaves me either exasperated or smiling.  Shaking my head in laughter and shaking my head “No” with a slight grimace are both commonplace. 

I remember the months leading up to his first birthday.  He was crawling everywhere, playing with blocks and throwing toys, and he loved to pull himself up on everything.  His favorite past times included baths, food, and dismantling my perfectly folded pile of blankets or the thoughtfully arranged shelves of my bookcase.  He was smiling, laughing, reaching out to me, and learning to take a couple lazy steps while clutching my fingers.  And then his birthday came and he was overwhelmed with cake, presents, and my ever present camera.  I think it was here when I blinked.

Two weeks after his birthday during our Skype session with daddy he teetered and took his first steps, lunging forward to tap the keys on the laptop I had just denied him.  He had long been amazing me with eating whole bananas and whole containers of yogurt in one sitting, and now he was both surprising and confusing me with his first fit over not being allowed to have my coffee cup. 

Giggling in delight at being pushed in the park swing, making quick work of walking in his determination to keep up with the older kids at play, and stealing our puppy’s toys with a mischievous grin were signs displaying growth and discovery daily.

Now. . .

Now the bookshelf has been mastered (he’s pulled off everything within reach so many times that it no longer interests him), and I have finally gotten smart enough to put child locks on the lower kitchen cabinets so that tin foil, plastic wrap, and stray noodles are not creating a chef’s maze on the floor.

And, yet, surprises continue every day.  Saying “Hi Dada” to his favorite picture of daddy, squealing in displeasure and skipping away when our puppy attempts to reclaim his toys, to occasionally making my heart swell by saying "Momma" in his every day voice and not just the whine I am so familiar with.   Finally finding a movie to fall in love with, The Lion King, because animals are a favorite, and learning to feed his big fur brother treats in abundance.  Giving hugs to momma and stuffed animals, smiling at strangers, and now recently, resting his head on momma’s growing belly or pointing to other babies excitedly at the grocery store.

The Dada in the picture frame came to life a few weeks ago with his return, and our days have continued to be filled with so much learning.  Saying “Hi Dada” to the giant man above him, being carried around on daddy’s shoulders while he pats his head, to being thrown in the air and tickled with abandon. 

Sometimes these joyous moments melt into tantrums as the object wanted most does not make an appropriate toy, or because our puppy was finally successful in running off with his ball.   Suddenly we’ll look over to see a diaper sagging from being tugged at, or completely unhinged on one side.   We’ll fix the diaper and in the next moment he’ll be pointing to the living room door and running off to the kitchen for a snack of blueberries.

Toddlerhood sneaks into those moments of longer rest because he just played harder than he ever had before, and it shows itself in first time ER visits with a forehead creating the perfect canvas for green and blue swelling.  It shows itself in being braver at the pool and wanting to glide along the water while kicking his legs and smiling at being splashed in the face.

Toddlerhood becomes apparent in eating two whole slices from pizza hut greedily, learning to pet his fur brother gently, and becoming more and more vocal and opinionated about what’s wanted and what’s not.  It’s pointing down and attempting to command our puppy to “sssiiittt” with a high pitched ending, and giving high fives when the idea suits him.  It’s helping mommy unload the dishwasher by handing her forks and spoons while she hastily gets the knives out of reach.  It’s pulling recyclables out of the kitchen bins and pointing to bananas with earnest desire every time he sees them. 

Toddlerhood is so closely aligned to living with the minions from Despicable Me that every day is an exhausting comedy.

And the learning isn’t one sided.  It’s a desperate mother deciding that showering together is easier, that co-sleeping doesn’t have to be taboo, and that nursing past one is sometimes what’s best for her and her child.  It’s snapping a thousand pictures of a thousand moments, and finally understanding why Mary tucked so many moments of Jesus safely away in her heart. 

It’s falling in love more everyday while breathing deeply at the end of the day because momma managed to not lose her sanity.  

Toddlerhood is a mother’s plea for strength and patience, and a quick thank you when Jesus kept her baby safe in the chaos of life.

And just when you think you have completely crossed the threshold of toddlerhood, that baby of yours reveals himself in a chubby dimpled smile or cry for extra snuggles.  Your baby comes back in that all enveloping yawn and rub of the eyes, or that adorable squeal of baby language only they understand.

So keep holding on to those moments during your journey because new moments will come swiftly. 

That little tot will be reading his first book and no longer taking naps.  He’ll be riding a bike and sleeping in his own room.

Take the time to be amazed by it all.

Love,

Rachel