Live From Mommyville

Toddlerhood

I keep having "uh-oh" moments...which surely must be kissin' cousins of "ah-ha" moments. There are four and a half years between my second child and my caboose (aka the last child) and in those four and half years I have forgotten a lot. I forgot that once a toddler discovers they can do something, they think they can do anything and will be really, REALLY vocal if you try to stop them (from climbing on the counter, from climbing the fridge shelves, from climbing into the dryer, from playing in the toilet). I forgot how preferable naked is to a toddler. I forgot just how messy a messy diaper can be when the naked toddler wrestles out of your grasp to remain naked. I forgot that the toddler way of announcing, "I am done with dinner," is by flinging what's left of dinner in a 180 degree radius. I forgot that the toddler way of saying, "This tastes funny," is by violently spitting it out.

Of course I forgot some other things too. I forgot how irresistable toddler smiles are and how I'd gladly do the chicken dance just to coax one to the surface. I forgot how warm and wonderful a toddler feels when they tuck their little bodies into yours, making you feel like the most loved person in the universe. I forgot how expressive their faces are...those darling faces that light up in triumph at every new achievement. I forgot their utter joy when you come to pick them up after nursery...when they open their arms wide and fling themselves into yours. I forgot that I'd be asking my toddler to say "amen" over and over and over again just to hear him say, "um-em." And I forgot that the very best moments of my life could come from just sitting still with my toddler while reading a book, watching a movie or sharing a nap.