For anyone who's curious about life with a toddler..

I remember way back when Harper was a newborn. I remember looking at his angelic little face and thinking that I would never, EVER raise my voice at him. Or lose my patience. Or get frustrated. How could I? I couldn't imagine him being any other way than swaddled in his blanket sleeping soundly in his crib.



I also used to HATE it when moms joked about that magical moment that is your baby's first steps and how it marked "The beginning of the end." It was like they were taunting me and relishing in the whole "misery loves company" thing. I never found it as amusing as they did.

I considered myself to be well prepared for Harper's mobility and when it happened, I was thrilled beyond words. It is such a proud moment to see your baby go from an infant to a toddler in a few seconds. It's also a bit sad. And scary.



Going from crawling to walking was a whole new ball game. He fell constantly. He was suddenly able to get hurt by things that I never thought of. Then I felt like a terrible mom because I didn't think of it. There were bruises and cries. Refusal of the ice pack I offered to reduce swelling. He found microscopic pieces of dirt, grass, etc on the floor and immediately put them in his mouth.

It took Harper awhile to go from a few steps a day to full on walking. It didn't take long before he was running. He was/is much faster than I anticipated.

I have recently come to the realization that I have to sit on the couch or stay in close proximity to him and wait for him to get into something he isn't supposed to. This is very restricting and makes me feel quite lazy, but I have no choice. It's very difficult to clean my house or do anything while he is walking around because he knows that I am distracted and uses it to his advantage.



It's difficult to play with him because his attention span is so short. I have tried to sit on the floor and play a million times, but he is much happier doing his own thing. He darts from one toy to the next and never stays in the same room for more than 5 minutes.

He becomes intolerable when I try to change his diaper or clothes. He tries to sit up, roll over or kick his legs so that changing him becomes nearly immposible. The only item that will keep his interest is diaper cream and immediately opens the tube and puts a dollop in his mouth. So, needless to say, I keep the diaper cream away. Once the task is complete, I am usually frustrated and exhausted.



Chasing Harper away from danger all day is tiring. Add 3 dogs, one of which is a new puppy that can't seem to grasp house training, and my days get pretty tough. We are all in eachother's way and it's not a normal day until I trip over one of them at least 3 times.

By the end of the day, my house looks like a nuclear testing ground.



At night, after Harper is in bed, I begin the clean-up process (sometimes) and then it's on to school work. I try to stay on top of it for the most part, but there are occasions when I have no choice but to wait until the last minute. This is usually when I have to call in for back-up, which is Jimmy (if he isn't working) or my family.

Life is hectic. I get frustrated. I raise my voice, even though I thought I wouldn't. I wish that my house was cleaner and the laundry was kept up a little more, but it isn't. I live in sweats and I'm usually covered in cracker crumbs. My hair looks like a rat's nest most of the time unless I'm leaving the house. I wish that I had time for little crafts and toddler activities, but I don't. Harper wouldn't be interested anyway. Some days it's all I can do to get through the day with my sanity intact and I am NOT exaggerating. Most days I look forward to when Jimmy rolls out of bed and I can escape to go to the bathroom for 5 minutes.

All in all, having a toddler is exhausting but completely rewarding too. I have learned a lot about myself and what type of mother I aspire to be. Harper brings so much joy to my life-that goes without saying and I honestly wouldn't want to be this exhausted for any other reason.