Shiny Mommy

Only in my house is the “If you don’t go to your room, you won’t get a story before bed” a threat.

My daughter has loved books since she was able to sit up. I have read to her nightly (as I can) since she was born. Her love of books comes from me, and my love came from my great grandfather.

Her book collection rivals mine as a toddler, and she loves being read to, and seems to be headed towards being an early reader. This is good. She doesn’t talk much, but she is catching up with her verbal skills, and there is no question that she actually understands what is being said to her (she scampered to her room post haste after that was said to her).

I can’t wait to take her to the library… and see her face when she sees an entire building dedicated to books…

So, yeah, I’ve been gone for a long time. I do have an excuse. I have been busy chasing around a toddler who has two speeds – either on or off.
We’ve also had a lot happening in our personal lives. I’m in the final stages of submitting my first novel, and we’re working on getting things sorted in our rooms here.

But things aren’t all sunshine and roses. The little miss seems to have a bit of a speech delay. We’re currently working with our local children’s hospital to see what we can do to get this done. So far, it’s been good news, but we’re not at the end of it yet. She’s using more words, and definitely has no issues with understanding what we say. Her hearing is good, but she’s prone to infections just like her mommy was at her age.

Her hemangioma is still present, but it’s getting very much less noticeable as the days go by. We think she’ll just need some plastic surgery to smooth it out and then she’ll be right as rain.

She also seems to be part monkey, and that makes me all shades of worried. She isn’t. I am.

I’m going to try to update more here as I can. Things in my life never are static and hopefully will nicely settle down now into a regular pattern.

Oh little girl.

As I was folding your laundry the other day, specifically your little socks, it hit me that you’re not going to be this small much longer. Soon we’ll be seeing you off to school, and before I know it, it will be your last day of secondary school and you’ll be heading into adulthood, ready to take on the world.

That soon those little socks will just be a bit bigger, and that one day, those little socks will probably be the same size as my socks.

Made me sad in a way. In the almost two years you’ve been with me, I find myself wanting to both press pause to keep things where they are, but wanting to keep going because I want to see you grow up into the woman you’re going to be. It’s a bit of a paradoxical situation, isn’t it?

But for right now, Mommy is going to sit here with those little socks, and smile. Because there was a time we weren’t sure you were going to have the next size of socks.

<3 you little miss monkey.

So yeah, I’ve been gone for what feels like forever. The good? I’m enjoying my daughter exploring her world. The bad? Having mobility issues that the medical establishment seems to be out to tell me are in my head (and not in a scientific way).

I’ve been battling that battle for a long time, and I just have stopped journaling in pretty much every aspect of my life.

Little Miss has been growing both physically and mentally, and I find myself in happy tears on so many occasions. Life might not be easy, but with her in it, it’s worth it.

I promise I’ll be back to it soon. Getting organized is a priority and I know will help me in many ways, and help me be the best mom I can be for her.

 

Well, little miss is able to have a (supervised) bath on her own. She’s learning how to clean herself, and while she’s not quite there yet, she’s learning quickly.

She’s had two rubber ducks since I can remember. A pink one and one that has a temperature gauge on it (because contrary to popular opinion, when you have issues that affect your nerves, it’s a better idea than using the elbow.).

Lately though, we have had demands for more ducks. I guess you could say that everything is just ducky for her.

Now the hunt for unique rubber ducks begins. Thank God for Amazon.

Oh little girl.

I love you, but I think we’ve entered the “terrible twos” a bit early. I know in some ways you’re well ahead of your peers, but you’re not able to express the whirlwind of emotions that are in your head. I know what it’s like to have all your feelings turned to 11.

We’ll make it through this tempest. You didn’t come with a manual, and we’re learning as you learn. I love you and we’re going to get through it together.

You’re a good girl. The bad things that happen, they don’t make you any less of a good child. Remember that.

Oh little girl. You are definitely mobile. And definitely on a mission, which from what I can tell, is to get into as much trouble as possible.

I know we anxiously waited for you to become the biped that you were born to be, but right now, we’re asking for five more minutes of that cute little bundle of adorable that didn’t move. Just so we can baby-proof a bit more.

You have gone from hesitant steps to running, and that has gotten you a few bumps and bruises, and scared a few years off mommy and probably given both Mommy and Daddy more grey hairs.

You’re exploring your world, and boy howdy do you not like the word no. Guess what little one? Get used to it.
You are loved and wanted, but you’re not going to get everything you want. I can’t fit a pony in my backyard and I’m sure that bylaw would have so much fun with that.

I can’t wait until the spring really comes. You know, after second winter? Then we can get outside and you can work on your plan to take over the world.

Oh my dear darling girl. You are most definitely a toddler.

You are mobile on two legs and while you prefer to be hanging on to Mommy and Daddy’s hands while tearing across the countryside, you are perfectly able to terrorize the place on your own.

We also have had our start of toddler meltdowns. The most spectacular was when your poor Auntie and I were trapped with you before her appointment and you had us both looking for a holy water font, because damn child.

Your vocabulary is expanding as your world does, and I can tell that you’re learning more than you can express right now. That is frustrating, and I know how you feel, because Mommy still has that problem sometimes.

I love that you love books. You are crazy for them. You also are showing Mommy that your spatial reasoning is really taking off like no one’s business.

I am so glad that you are my daughter, and that we’re in this together. I promise that I will love you forever – even if you don’t think I do (to my mother – I get you now, so much).

I would like to know where you get your energy though. I am beginning to think that you are hiding a nuclear power plant somewhere (because what comes out the output is near toxic waste some days). Also – Naps are wonderful and you’re going to look back on this phase of hating them when you’re older and go “Damn it”. Trust me on that one little girl.

So, let’s see where tomorrow takes us, shall we?