at six months it was, "oh, he's starting to crawl? you're in for it now!" and looking back it turns out crawling was awesome. it was so much fun to watch parker gain the beginnings of his independence & explore his surroundings. it was the start of "crawling adventures" together & watching him transform from a baby blob to a little person with curiosity & personality.
when it took him a while to walk on his own & we would voice frustration people would say, "be careful what you wish for... once they start going they'll never stop!" dude, walking is the coolest. no more muddy knees at the playground & what? i need to get something out of my purse & i have to put you down? no big deal, just hang out there standing on your own.
now that we're staring toddlerhood in the face we get it all. "oooh, the terrible twos!" but you know what? i think toddlerhood is rad. i am loving toddlerhood. yes there are tantrums, yes he voices frustration now & then & occasionally he {gasp!} does things i tell him not to. but the flip side? so much fun. there is nothing quite like watching your kid pick up on something new. parker is really into naming all his body parts & will give you the run down from nose to ears to eyes to arm to teeth at any given second. he gets so proud of himself & that's pretty much the best thing ever.
this morning parker stood up on a chair in the kitchen & helped us cook for the first time. turns out, that's the kinda stuff you have kids for. kids are awesome, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. there are challenges & some days might even suck but there is nothing like having the love of a child & watching them grow... even when they're screaming at you & hitting you for changing their diaper {yes, this happens around here} i wouldn't change a thing about my job as a mom for the world.
and it just keeps getting better & better.
It does get better and better. While I miss the squishy baby each stage as my girl grows is my favorite. As soon as she turned 2 all we heard was "oh, watch out for the terrible 2's". We loved 2 and are looking forward to 3 despite any warnings we might hear!
ReplyDeletei love this post! our lily is only 6 months old, but i feel like i hear mamas being negative all the time, too, about moments they should really just appreciate. while i'm sad about the time flying by so quickly, i can't wait until she enters toddlerhood and can interact with us on a whole new level. thanks for sharing :)
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Looove this post! People were quick to point out all the negatives to me too. But the good far outweighs the bad!
ReplyDeleteawe, i am so looking forward to all those stages. but first i need to get through this pregnancy =] i feel right now i am in transition to becoming a mother. i do not feel i am quite there yet but i know once i meet him/her it is going to be the most amazing journey ever. and parker is just the cutest lil boy ever!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more! Every month I claim that "this is my favourite stage" and it's totally true! It just gets more and more fun.
ReplyDeleteParker and Brayden have the same diapering technique. ;)
ReplyDeleteyou are such an awesome mom! love your positive look on everything!! Parker is such a cute kid!! so loving this post!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more!!!
ReplyDeleteyes. it. does. I love seeing these little toddlers all smart and proud for learning new things...that is awesome!
ReplyDeleteI love this post. As someone who doesn't have kids (yet), it's so refreshing to see a post that says how awesome parenting is, rather than how exhausting!
ReplyDeleteThis post makes me smile :) It's so encouraging to hear a positive post about kids. My little dude is 8 months now and it's starting to get so fun seeing his personality starting to grow. Can't wait for more :)
ReplyDeleteWhile I whole-hardheartedly agree that kids are awesome, I truly truly love babies/kids... I think people tell you those "negative things" because it is a realistic point. When Bennett started walking, it was truly more difficult. He started climbing on everything, running away from me in public.. (I couldn't just set him down while I got something out of my purse).. I suppose every child is different. And I'm totally not saying this to be a negative nelly because you're right, it really does get better and better. I think we all just have different experiences and have to be sensitive to those that might have a harder time.
ReplyDeleteNow that I've totally rained on your parade, I need to point out that I just wrote a post today about how awesome my kid is. I need to be sure that I do that MORE!
I totally agree with my entire heart that this part of Zane's life is so much fun, but it comes with it's hardships too. I love watching him discover new things everyday and see his face light up when I clap and say good job to him over and over for being able to do something new!! It's amazing to watch them grow & learn. :)
ReplyDeleteSomeone once told me it's the toughest job you'll ever love. It's tough because it's beyond full time,you encounter things you don't know how to fix but for all the challenges, there are 1 million moments that make you feel in a way you didn't know you could feel.
ReplyDeleteGood for you for writing about the good times. Today, I, unfortunately, took the other route. :)
You sound so much like me. I LOVE all the new stages. With new stages comes new challenges, but even more joy and pride in our little ones! :)
ReplyDeleteThis post is just awesome!! After Mason turned 1, I spent months and months worrying about "the terrible twos" and about how everyone said he was going to turn into a rotten demon child that did nothing but scream and cry. While that definitely could still happen (sure hope not!) I realized all the negativity wasn't helping anyone. Yes, kids that crawl and walk get into things. Yes, kids that talk can drive you nuts. But seriously? They do a million awesome things too. You nailed this - awesome awesome post :o)
ReplyDeletereally cute :)
ReplyDeleteXOXO
wiebkembg.blogspot.com
I get kinda annoyed when people make those negative comments about different stages. Personally, 18 months - 3 years is my most favorite! yeah there are hard things, but there are soooo many amazingly fun things too!!!
ReplyDeleteA-freaking-men!! Okay. I love this post for a million reasons. I agree with every word. I think it was the same thing when we got engaged and married and got pregnant and bought a house and, of course, had Dane. People try to tell you all the crazy or scary or unperfect stuff and they leave out the good stuff. I agree with you 100%. You seriously wrote all my exact thoughts. Now how about if I say that I agree 47 more ways. Enough of that! Anyway, I'm hoping the same thing will happen when we decide to have another baby. People make having 2 kids sound like a death sentence...hoping they're wrong about that one, too
ReplyDeleteLove this post -- that's what I've loved about having you as a friend! You're so positive about motherhood and whenever I worry about something someone has told me ("be careful what you wish for" is one I hear all the time now that Cami is 14+ months and not walking) you tell me they just don't know what they're talking about! :)
ReplyDeletethank you :) I think this is a wonderful post!
ReplyDeleteWell said! I look forward to each and every little milestone!!
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right! i love toddlerhood :) Love that photo of the two of you. I can feel the love!
ReplyDeleteit does just keep getting better and better! toddler hood is my fave time! all the learning and new things is awesome!
ReplyDeleteI have a 23 month old and honestly this time is amazing! He is so fun! We laugh, we run, we tickle etc and every single moment is so Rad. Yes we have some moments, but that's life!! It can't all be perfect but it's pretty close right now!!
ReplyDeletewell said! ruby is 9 months & i have been absolutely relieved to see her gain some independence - sitting up & crawling. she is so much happier now that she can do those things. i worked at a daycare for 5 years, in a toddler room - 18 months to 3 years - and it was awesome! when i would tell ppl, they'd get all "12 two year olds at once? must be exhausting!" and some days it was, but more often then not, it was days filled with dancing, singing, telling stories, exploring, being curious, reading, and having the greatest conversation. i don't like to "wish away" time with ruby, but i am not dreading the upcoming years one bit. you hit the nail on the head! thanks!
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome post. I love watching the kids get something for the first time or say something new.
ReplyDeletethis is a great post! and you're right. everybody i know scared the bejeezus out of me while i was pregnant and at every stage since telling me how hard it's going to be and yeah, it's hard, but wow! my kid is AWESOME. and so is parker!! i guess we're the lucky ones ;)
ReplyDeleteAmen!------- "i kinda feel like people with kids like to scare new parents. like, they're super quick to point out all the negatives instead of telling you the awesome parts. "
ReplyDeleteI've got three kids and I feel like the more kids we have the more negative people are.......sad. When did having a large family become such a bad idea?
Love your post
I love the picture a lot and the message is good as well.
ReplyDeleteThere is so much that is great about toddlerhood. I love that they can tell you what they need and that you don;t have to do every little thing for them because they want to "do it themselves" I love watching my kids become little people.
ReplyDeleteYou're such a positive person :) I'm kind of in the middle. It really depends on who I am talking to. Since my husband is a high school teacher, we choose to give his students the nitty gritty side of parenthood in hopes they will wait to have kids...you know have a single independent life first. You'd be shocked to know just how many think it's all sunshine and cute baby giggles. I do tell them it's the toughest thing I've ever done, but I wouldn't change it for anything. It'll definitely change you...you just have to decide whether it's a good change or bad. Still love your blog posts!
ReplyDeleteI love this post too. I am so scared about the possibility of becoming a mother in the next few years -- will I be good at it? Am I the right type? Etc etc etc ... reading posts like this makes me feel less scared.
ReplyDeleteWell done! I loved being a Mom of little ones & it truly does get better & better through all the years, speaking authoritatively now as a Grandma! ;)
ReplyDeleteA-freaking-MEN!! I just shared this with all my FB friends because I could not agree more! So tired of the negative nancies - this toddler thing is amazing and the good outweighs the bad a million times over!
ReplyDeleteI really don't know why people are so negative. Being a parent is awesome, it somehow does get better and better!! Even though it's the most amazing thing to start with. =)
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree with you more! My daughter is just about 2 and it annoys me so much when other parents would say that- "OH, she took her first steps, look out, you are doomed now" - REALLY?? Because my daughter started walking and we are overjoyed. I watch her run through the park now and climb the jungle gym, and never once have I thought "WOw it sucks she can walk". I don't get that. I just ignore those comments. And like you said, with crawling, what an amazing transformation. Every milestone has been amazing to me as a parent. And I can whole heartedly say - it DOES get better and better. Every day!
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