Toddler Talk 3

#14 Your child will only take the lengthy naps you dream about on the days you need and/or want to go somewhere.

Toddler Talk 2

#13 Your child will not wake from a nap until you are right in the middle of completing a task you cannot do easily while he is awake. ie., dishes

Toddler Talk

I've learned a great deal as a first-time mommy to a now toddler. Here is a (definitely non-comprehensive) list of a few of my "finds":

*Note: these pertain to my child, but I'm sure you'll find truth in many of them for yourself!

#1 The more you clean, the bigger the mess your child will make...and usually in another room where you have no idea it's taking place.

#2 Your toddler will love any kind of water: the bathtub, the toilet, and especially the dog's water bowl.

#3 Getting ready to go anywhere will no longer be a simple process. For example, you, as the put-together mother that you are, may merely want to apply a little mascara before facing the world. However, what typically may have taken 5 minutes to apply pre-baby now takes 20, simply because you have to stop your toddler from unrolling all of the toilet paper, flushing the toilet, emptying the cabinets underneath the sinks, chasing the dog, hitting the dog, pulling all of your shoes out of your closet, opening your dresser drawers, playing in the dog's water bowl, crying for no apparent reason, throwing his cup and any toys he can get his hands on into the bathtub, and trying to eat the Swiffer. And that's while you ONLY want to apply mascara. We haven't even discussed showering, doing hair, applying the rest of your make-up, and getting dressed. Oh, yes, and you still have to dress your toddler who refuses to sit still for anything! Tired, yet?!

#4 Your toddler will help put items away; unfortunately, his idea of "helping" may be pulling the dirty clothes out of the hamper and placing them, oh so gently, in a bathroom drawer. He'll be so proud, all you can do is laugh and thank him!

#5 There will be days you desire to change your name. Hearing "momma" 21,754 times a day will be difficult at times, but one day you know you'll miss being called that precious title all day long. Remind yourself he'll never be this young again nor under your roof forever.

#6 You will find yourself listening and watching in amazement as your toddler has entire conversations with anything and everything. He will "read" the same page of his favorite book for 10 minutes, even it only contains 4 words!

#7 Your toddler will know sooner than you wish which items he had better grab and run; for example, the television remote!

#8 A mother's heart can't imagine loving any little person more than her child, but you will crave adult conversation at the end of a long day.

#9 Some days you can't win no matter you what you do: pick up, put down, pick up, put down, throw temper tantrum on the floor, pick up, put down, pick up, put down, throw juice cup at dog, scream, pick up, put down...continue as long as necessary until your toddler finally decides what he wants (and only that will last for a few precious seconds!).

#10 You will tell your child you love him all day every day even when he has pushed you to the extreme.

#11 You will dance and sing and look like the biggest idiot to get your child to stop crying or to get a giggle out of your little person.

#12 Even on your "I hate me" days, your child will love everything about you, even the mushy and gushy parts!

Silly & Small/Large & Life-changing

Many days here lately I feel I am just floating along, when suddenly wham! a million new changes begin taking place. Some of them aren't major: we let our cat venture outside, she disappeared (really, not a heartache), then she showed up at the back door yesterday. By the time I had food for her she was gone again. We are just thankful to know she's still alive, but I certainly don't miss the smell of cat in our house!

Other changes are taking more getting used to. Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University has me thinking so differently about money, even from when I was more disciplined a few years ago. I look at purchases differently and even at things friends share with me about their purchases. Please take this as kindly as you can, but we are typically very stupid with our money. David and I don't have it all figured out, but we're on our way to being in an entirely new league. I'm so proud of my husband. If we don't have it in our account, we don't spend it. If it's designated, we don't spend it. If it's not in the budget, we don't spend it. I know many times before we've said this money was for thisorthat, but we'd borrow against thisorthat in our heads and then just get all messed up. No more. And as silly as it sounds, it was very difficult not to swing through somewhere and pick up something to eat after VBS last week. Going out to eat is a treat, not the norm anymore. Knowing what we spent eating out was a complete eye-opener for us.

Have you ever both loved and hated where you live? I love being near family and back at the church David and I met. But if you've never been to the MS Gulf Coast, it's hot and humid 3/4 of the year! Not good for good hair days!! We're still rebuilding in many senses post-Katrina and now with this oil spill, life is going to change drastically again. We have an incredibly large Asian/Vietnamese population that makes their living fishing/shrimping. That option is probably about to be eliminated which means these families will be forced to move on. Family places, restaurants, and shopping are growing, but communities are not very family-oriented here. I love teaching, but middle school is a difficult age. However, many places are either firing or not even hiring, so I'm super thankful and blessed to have a job. I know, I know, there are pros and cons to living anywhere, but you know how it seems: the grass is always greener on the other side. I just needed to put these thoughts down, that's all.

Hayden's toys have all been moved into his room and the changing table is gone. *sigh* He needs new clothes; it's as if he suddenly sprouted overnight! He's so close to talking in sentences and his vocabulary is increasing daily. My mom and sister swear he said, "Daddy at work," the other day. I was outside so I missed it. He brings me each of his books at least twice a day and crawls up into my lap to read. I've done some rearranging around the house to shake things up until we can buy new furniture and update our furnishings (thanks, Dave Ramsey).

And lastly, I guess I'll close with this: we need prayer partners. David and I are considering becoming foster parents. He repeatedly brings this up. Neither of us can handle that so many children are unwanted or can't be cared for. Maybe this is our mission field right here. David is stepping up at church and taking more leadership roles, but we feel called to do more. If this is what God would have us do, please pray that everything would fall into place and we would get the child perfect for our family. We're not ruling out having another baby by any means, but the timing isn't right for us now. That may not make sense to anyone but us, but we're praying this through.

So there you go--changes. Some silly and small, some large and life-changing.

Dog+Baby=NEVER Alone

Yep, that's what I've learned. I can't do anything in peace anymore. NOTHING. Not the laundry, not tv, not dishes, not eat not even use the bathroom! Hayden has always followed me, but the dog has become increasingly worse. Today I was pushing Hayden inside the house and out in his birthday present: a 3-in-1 trike. Belle followed at my heels; we must have looked like a conga line. It was hilarious and a pain all at the same time. Both want my undivided attention 24/7. Maybe when people ask me when we're trying for number two I'll just tell them, "I don't need another baby right now; I have one child and a dog!"

I'm trying to remember that one day I'll miss these moments, but there are some times you just need a minute. It's too blasted hot to spend too much time outdoors. It's supposed to feel like 110 degrees today and it was already so stuffy this morning as we pushed in the trike. It seems like Hayden learns something new everyday. He's very good at helping me rearrange my drawers and cabinets. He has certain ones he can play in, and boy, does he!

Top to Bottom

I was just about to blog that I have cleaned my house top to bottom (literally), when I realized I forgot to dust the ceiling fans! But you know what? The furniture is dusted and the floors are clean, so the fans can wait. They were done not too long ago anyway. Some mopping and dishes to finish, and of course, another load of laundry always awaits, but overall, my house smells and feels so clean! I had been putting off things like organizing closets until I was finished with school, and I decided that first week out of the gate was it. It's taken me 3 days because a certain 13 month old makes another mess while I clean a previous one. And he thinks he needs to inspect e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. You mommys can relate! I've had to do most of my work while Hayden naps, and since morning naps are disappearing, I'm working very quickly in a short amount of time!

We've also rearranged the bedroom and the living room. Maybe I'll put pictures of those up later. Right now, "Hurricane" is stirring and he slept through lunch so I better go feed the beast!