She is a busy one, this girl of mine. Always exploring, always discovering and always moving. She loves to dance. Anything with a beat will do. Her newest skill is to climb on the lounge, and she has been caught a few times climbing to the very top to peek out the window.
I often find her with a collection of necklaces around her neck or a line of bangles on her arm.
Or with an assortment of jars or lids from the cupboard.
She loves nothing more than an adventure outside and will venture out on her own if we've forgotten to shut the door.
She is very sure of herself and knows exactly what she wants. Good luck to you if you try to change her mind.
All of this reminds me of how very different each parenting journey has been. How very different their little personalities are, and how we need to adapt each time.
I had forgotten just how difficult this stage can be. Most days I find myself doing not much more than cleaning up a constant path of destruction left behind by this little person. Some days can be incredibly frustrating. But there is always some smiles and laughing in between the frustrating bits.
Third time around I know just how quickly it all passes. So, while I wish that this constant getting into things stage would pass, I don't want it to either. Because each stage has its own little character, and actions and words. The way they move, the way they mispronounce words. I am aware that many of these will be forgotten with the passage of time.
I've been trying to keep a journal up, but I'm afraid that I'm months behind. I have lots of digital photos, but no printed albums. I've taken a few little videos. All of this takes organization and time. But I know I need to do it before time gets away on me. Do you struggle with this too?
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Hoping that your day is a good one. And thanking all for your excellent snail ridding suggestions yesterday. Much appreciated.
I find this age so magical...the rate at which they learn is amazing but it can be tiring trying to keep them constantly occupied.
ReplyDeleteIt's so true about adapting your parenting style to suit each individual child...our older four are really quite similar but Kaizer has definitely broken that mold and taught us so much about not only ourselves but his personality.
I loved reading in Rhonda's book about housework never being finished and coming to peace with that, just makes so much sense and eases the pressure I think and I find I am not overly worried about the tornado mess that Kaizer leaves in his wake :)
x
I know exactly what you mean. My youngest is almost 10 years old and I sit here and wonder where the time went. It seems only yesterday that my 17 year old was playing with his Tickle Me Elmo lol. I am so far, years in fact, behind on my albums and momentos and I have forgotten so much, so many memories gone simply because life got too hectic to be able to find the time to document. It makes me so sad that I struggle now to remember those cute little sayings or special moments.
ReplyDeleteSorry I don't have any answers, I just hope that you can, in the madness of life, find the time to get something down. I wish I had had a blog all those years ago, things may have been a bit different.
tania, i feel like a broken record but your children really are extra gorgeous...
ReplyDeleteoh, frustration! - how familiar that feeling has become since having kids! :))
You hit the nail on the head! I've been thinking of all of these things as well. My children are 2 and 3, and we are trying to decide if we should have another. I find myself daily (hourly) going back and forth in my mind.
ReplyDeleteI am so aware now of how fast it goes by.
I keep a journal also, but the trick is to take time to write. I've a million photos on the computer - nearly none printed.
One thing that was a help was last year I made a digital photo book of my daughter's first year. At least I have something we can page through! I think I did it through Snapfish, but there are many that offer that service.
I found it hard to keep up with the things I did for the first child, the same as the third child..All I know is I have the photos, and one day I will put them all together..the video's, well, I need to have it out ALL THE TIME to capture special moments...I find myself doing silly things lately, like slowly folding an old bib that I found...slowly...and remembering what little me looked like in it...I have one nappy left, and cant seem to throw it out....( Its a clean one!)...I am becoming sentimental and a little sad that these milestones are passing and that they may be the last time I see them in my family...I cherish the times I spend with her alone, just us, her lying next to me so I can smell her and feel her little arms and legs...she has taken to falling asleep in our bed with me again in the evening and I dont care....I never have, but I am in no hurry to move her along to be a big girl...all in her own time...I think that is why turning 40 and losing my baby which would have been my fourth last year is so hard for me, its like the end of an era that has consumed me for the last ten years with my three children...I really dont know how to lose these feelings...or to save the ones I want to keep.....x
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely!! 5 years on and I still haven't written down the birthstory...probably never will but my heart knows what happened and does it really matter. Important is to enjoy the moments of each phase, just like you say, as they do pass quickly. The days are long but the years are so short! Don't be too hard on yourself, it takes enough to just get through the days and stay on top of the normal running of the household.
ReplyDeleteMy little boy is only just starting to move so i have more destruction to come. I know what you mean about time slipping away though, that seems to happen here all the time too.
ReplyDeleteThat last photo in particular is so beautiful! And I love the necklaces.
ReplyDeleteYou always have your blog as a record - you can get it printed into a book.
If it wasn't for that and books we've made in iPhoto we'd have no recent albums either. In fact we never even did a wedding album (pre-digital)! Making new memories can get in the way of preserving the old... but that's kind of okay isn't it?
That picture of her on the back of the bike, she so confident and comfortable. She is adorable too!
ReplyDeleteI know all too well how this time is wonderful and frustrating and yet you don't want it to end. I actually look forward to where I can trust that our littlest will be ok in our open front yard, that'll be when i can breathe easier. I recently lost 15,000 photos many of which were of my 2 youngest. As you know in this digital age we process fewer images, I have one image of my youngest. We are still trying to recover the photos, so all I can say is back them up.
That bike is fantastic! She looks like she knows how to get in your good books with those beautiful eyes. Right now I'm sitting here and I can see odd socks, bits of lego, marbles, crumbs and goodness knows what under the sofa! C'est la vie :) x
ReplyDeleteShe looks so confident - and a JOY to have around (despite the frustrations sometimes!) You are a lucky lady x
ReplyDeleteShe is so cute!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder Tania to just take it all in at this age - I need it today! I have a journal for both my kids, I write in it whenever I get the time (keep it handy like in a kitchen drawer), their age and funny things they are saying, favourite foods, toys, stories,etc. Size of clothes/shoes, friends names, betime ritual...anything really. Hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder Tania to just take it all in at this age - I need it today! I have a journal for both my kids, I write in it whenever I get the time (keep it handy like in a kitchen drawer), their age and funny things they are saying, favourite foods, toys, stories,etc. Size of clothes/shoes, friends names, betime ritual...anything really. Hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteno journal here. At least the blog will be a little story of their lives. Just need to figure out how to back up a blog.
ReplyDeleteI read that last sentence as riding snails (should have my glasses on) and did a double take, yee ha. Will have to have a good read of that post!
She is adorable. I have four children and each one is so different in every way. I love that about them how unique each is. Sometimes the different personalities really clash other times it works so beautifully because they can resolve issues as they have different opinions.
ReplyDeleteI've also tried journals and constantly forget to write in it.
Photos as so precious!