I know adding a tiny third member to your family changes pretty much everything about your life. I get that. However, once Nathan and I figured out the whole newborn thing (how to take care of him kind of stuff), we got into our groove. Our life changed, but it didn't change...it was more like we just had this tiny little person tagging along. Benjamin was such an easy baby. One of the most often heard comments I heard throughout the first year of his life (after "Your son is so cute!) was "Is he always this happy?" And he really was! Nathan and I knew how lucky we were to have such a content baby and if we were out somewhere and saw another infant screaming non-stop we would look at each other and silently think, "Thank God Benjamin isn't like that!" (And I'm sure one of us has thought at some point, "What is wrong with those parents?" Yes, we are going to get ours next time I'm sure!)
So here we are, cruising through life with this sweet, adorable little boy who just lights up our life, when it happens. I kept telling Nathan that he shouldn't wish for it, but he wouldn't listen. Benjamin began to walk. While we were both excited, I was nervous. This was going to make my job 100 times more difficult. Even when he began crawling, it wasn't so bad. He still couldn't reach things or open cabinets and he could only move so fast (hardwood is really hard on the knees you know). But then he gets up on two legs and the chaos begins. Cabinet doors are fascinating and the objects in them even more so. He has to pull each one out and inspect it before flinging it across the room (keep in mind he still has a love for throwing anything). Then he moves on to the next cabinet, without putting everything back from the first one of course. He kindly leaves that for me.
While mildly annoying, the cabinet emptying really isn't that big of a deal. I am handling it. But then he starts climbing. Onto chairs. Onto couches. Onto tables. Being the nervous mother that I am, I am terrified that he is going to fall off and hit is head and die. (Give me a break, I'm a new mom.) So when I see that he has made it to the top of said objects, I stop what I am doing (making dinner, folding laundry, facebooking), rush over and put him down safely on the ground. I go back to what I was doing, such as thinking of a clever status update, and immediately have to rush back to him to get him off of the place he was just on 30 seconds ago. We repeat this sequence about half a dozen times before I give in and just sit down to play with him for awhile, which diverts his attention and turns him back into the golden child. I have a sneaking suspicion that that was his goal all along.
What really made me realize that Benjamin is no longer a baby, but a full fledged toddler, was watching him at a party on Sunday. He spent about two and a half hours running around the event hall with his four cousins (ranging from ages 16 months to 7 years), just trying to keep up with the older boys. While it was absolutely adorable to watch, it was really hard to keep track of him as well. In the past I would set Benjamin down on the floor with a few toys and then sit back and enjoy the party. Well...I kept forgetting that I couldn't do that anymore. I'd be having a conversation with someone and then all of a sudden I would remember that I had a child and panickly begin searching for him, only to find him with his dad, grandma, uncle, etc. All I can say is thank goodness for family members who helped keep an eye on him, because I sure wasn't! Oops.
So, I guess now our life really has changed. Because now we have a toddler who not only walks, but runs. Fast. Through open doors and into parking lots. I think we're in trouble.
So here we are, cruising through life with this sweet, adorable little boy who just lights up our life, when it happens. I kept telling Nathan that he shouldn't wish for it, but he wouldn't listen. Benjamin began to walk. While we were both excited, I was nervous. This was going to make my job 100 times more difficult. Even when he began crawling, it wasn't so bad. He still couldn't reach things or open cabinets and he could only move so fast (hardwood is really hard on the knees you know). But then he gets up on two legs and the chaos begins. Cabinet doors are fascinating and the objects in them even more so. He has to pull each one out and inspect it before flinging it across the room (keep in mind he still has a love for throwing anything). Then he moves on to the next cabinet, without putting everything back from the first one of course. He kindly leaves that for me.
While mildly annoying, the cabinet emptying really isn't that big of a deal. I am handling it. But then he starts climbing. Onto chairs. Onto couches. Onto tables. Being the nervous mother that I am, I am terrified that he is going to fall off and hit is head and die. (Give me a break, I'm a new mom.) So when I see that he has made it to the top of said objects, I stop what I am doing (making dinner, folding laundry, facebooking), rush over and put him down safely on the ground. I go back to what I was doing, such as thinking of a clever status update, and immediately have to rush back to him to get him off of the place he was just on 30 seconds ago. We repeat this sequence about half a dozen times before I give in and just sit down to play with him for awhile, which diverts his attention and turns him back into the golden child. I have a sneaking suspicion that that was his goal all along.
What really made me realize that Benjamin is no longer a baby, but a full fledged toddler, was watching him at a party on Sunday. He spent about two and a half hours running around the event hall with his four cousins (ranging from ages 16 months to 7 years), just trying to keep up with the older boys. While it was absolutely adorable to watch, it was really hard to keep track of him as well. In the past I would set Benjamin down on the floor with a few toys and then sit back and enjoy the party. Well...I kept forgetting that I couldn't do that anymore. I'd be having a conversation with someone and then all of a sudden I would remember that I had a child and panickly begin searching for him, only to find him with his dad, grandma, uncle, etc. All I can say is thank goodness for family members who helped keep an eye on him, because I sure wasn't! Oops.
So, I guess now our life really has changed. Because now we have a toddler who not only walks, but runs. Fast. Through open doors and into parking lots. I think we're in trouble.
I could copy this pretty much word for word, and just change the name to Brody.. and it would all be true. I couldn't have said it any better. I've got one just like him, this is the story of my life. Super easy baby, super crazy toddler... a little challenging now, but I love it. :)
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