When our girls turned a year old, a dear friend told me she’d been warned about coming months. Specifically, the months between a year and a year and half were some of the hardest of times.
I laughed it off at the time because I honestly couldn’t even begin to process that. But, now that I’m there, I would have to say these have been some of the most trying and beautiful times.
Since our girl has turned a year old, she has finally begun to WALK! She was a late walker, around 15 or 16 months, but this has bought a whole new adventure. I love that our girl can walk and run around the backyard. She walks to to the mail box with me and even walks into stores and such while we hold hands {of course!}
Life is much more fun for her.
A wise woman told me after having her second baby that each stage has its joys and frustrations. I think that is so true, not just for parents, but also the kiddos. These “toddlers” are battling for independence while still needing mama and dada. They are mentally and physically experiencing so much, and that can come out in the best of laughs, but also a lot of tears. The breakdowns for NO reason, picky eating, clinginess, and absolute defiance push us to have a glass of wine at 2pm, that’s for sure.
But on the bright side, we can stop and play at the park when we are out on a walk. We can run and play in sprinklers. We can walk around the library and try out new books. Test out toddler times at various locations. Play hide and go seek. Chase dogs. And most of all, run in for huge hugs.
It is seriously a whole new ballgame, but one that I wouldn’t trade for the world.
This age group of 12-18 months has presented challenges to say the least. We’ve gone down to one long nap a day. We’ve scraped knees and cried too many tears to count. But we’ve also shared smiles, hugs, and kisses that blow them all away.
My girl turned 18 months and a huge wave of love washed over me at the realization of how much I love her. Some days just get away from me with starting Mother’s Day Out and the daily tasks of being a mom, wife, friend and daughter. But that day, it hit me like an 18 wheeler how much I need to slow down and ENJOY the pure joy she is to us.
