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| From 5 Minutes for Parenting |
By Kelly
There are few things as sweet as a two-year-old.
There. I’ve said it.
I know two is an exhausting age. In the last seven days, Teyla has discovered how to make gum out of toilet paper and toilet water, learned to take off her pants and her diaper, decided she doesn’t need an afternoon nap and just yesterday, scattered the contents of a sugar bowl around the kitchen.
But she’s also smiled at me and called me Mah-mee with the most innocent voice and asked to “hep” with everything I’ve done. She keeps me company at all hours and puts her chubby little hand into mine and is totally and utterly delighted at simple things like seeing the moon rise in the evening. She carries her toy phone around the kitchen, talking to Da as she walks, and she cares for her babies by setting them gently in her toy crib and tucking them in with a soft blanket. (Never mind that the baby’s face is under the blanket and her feet are sticking out and she’s not wearing a stitch of clothing. It’s the thought that counts, right?)
I had forgotten how much I love this age.
And I guess, in the end, that’s one of the huge reasons we’re having one more. Because I couldn’t imagine passing up one more chance to enjoy the purity of toddlerhood.
It’s true that the school years have their own joys and struggles. I’m already experiencing them with our older two children.
But when there are no more chubby feet in my future, no more spontaneous hugs around my knees, no more tangled heads and yawning mouths appearing next to my bed in the morning, no more little ones bounding instead of walking, no more cries of “I dee it!” Well. I will be a little sad.
And I will keep a few pairs of fuzzy footsie pajamas in my keepsake box, just so I can smell them and hold them and remember of the sweet simplicity of these days.
Kelly is 23 weeks pregnant with her fourth and final baby. You can experience more sappy mother moments at her personal blog, Love Well.
Actually, the phase from about 15 months to about 3 is one of my favs. They are so much fun, and learning new things every day. Sure they're testing the waters, and testing you, but I found it went in cycles. If you stand firm, they figure it out and move on to being delightful again. A few months later, more testing, but again, it didn't last too long.
ReplyDeleteI know what you say its true infact I already ache for it even if I only have 1 child yet and he is only 1 as well :) but I alrady feel it!
ReplyDeleteI love the toddler stage, the age they want to make you happy but still want to be independent and up to no good.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right about the pure sweetness of the toddler years. I just love it. Makes me cry to think of never getting to do it again, even with the exhaustion and testing.
ReplyDeleteWhat is it about this age and taking off their clothes/diaper? My kid keeps doing it after we put her to bed. We found her sound asleep and completely naked last night. What to do?!
Oh, I just want to cry thinking about it. My youngest is 2 and has all that impish sweetness about her. Her big sister is 5 and there just isn't an ounce of baby left in her. She's my glimpse of the future. I will so miss these days. The nights, however, I will not miss.
ReplyDeleteAmen to this whole post. You will treasure and by hyper aware of that fresh innocence of your 4th and final more than any of the others, just because you have already gone through it 3 times and KNOW now. I am there! My 4th baby is 3 yrs and 3 months now, still in innocent wonderland, and I will miss it SO so much!!!
ReplyDeleteI love the sweetness and watching the lights come on in their little minds, too. That little personality really blooms, they're learning new things at breakneck speed - it's miraculous to watch no matter how many times you've watched it, isn't it? I don't blame you for doing it again - if I were a wee bit younger I think I'd be begging Al for another, too. I'll enjoy yours vicariously, though. :)
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, how about a zippered sleeper with the zipper held in its UPRIGHT and LOCKED position with a big old safety pin?