Breathe in, breathe out...

I'm leaning more and more towards being "one and done" with Noah. This kid is a handful, and definitely keeps me on my toes. I cannot even being to fathom juggling another mini ninja. I have no idea how moms handle multiples or even two under two, but I have a newfound respect for those mothers. They must seriously be supermoms!

In all seriousness, Noah's climbing abilities are beginning to petrify me. He adores climbing on the couch and tugging on the blinds. Not the chords, because those are rolled up in some baby proofing contraption, but the actual blinds. He's already managed to break a couple off. His latest maneuver cause him to loose balance and fall backwards off of the couch, as I watched in horror. As I ran from the kitchen to attempt catching him, he managed to contort his little body like a cat, and he landed on his hands and knees. More scared than hurt, he only cried for a few minutes. The whole ordeal left no bruises or bumps, but it definitely scared the hell out of me.

This tiny human trusts me with his safety and security, and I felt like I failed him. I should have been closer. I should have been paying better attention. I should have stopped him from climbing on the couch in the first place. All these thoughts swimming in my head create a world of doubt, and I often wonder if I am truly cut out for this whole mom gig. How could I possibly let my child fall down? What kind of mom does that? 😨

After chatting with a regular customer and friend of my parents' store, I felt slightly better about my insecurities. She is a grandmother to quite a few little ones and offered some sage advice and words of wisdom. She said that kids "will fall down, but luckily God designed them to withstand some of those tumbles. Bruises and scrapes heal and children learn from their experiences." Seems pretty logical and straightforward to me. She also said that Noah is in an "experimental" stage of toddlerhood and that I should be prepared to watch him explore and test both his limits and mine. Apparently, this time period is crucial for his development. Also, my reactions to certain behaviors will set the stage for what's to come during the so-called "terrible 2's".

Noah has definitely had his share of temper tantrums and melt downs this past week. I assumed it was from teething, but I am learning just how important nap time is. Not enough sleep = über grumpy Noah. I have also carefully watched how he reacts to "time outs". He fake cries and slowly escalates to get my attention. If I cave in, the behavior repeats nearly immediately. When I ignore him and continue to talk to him from another room, he eventually gets bored and finds something to entertain himself...like attempting headstand in his pack-n-play or babbling aloud or hopping, etc. he forgets about why he was pissed off and returns to my happy, bubbly, and snuggly baby when I take him out of time out.

I am amazed at how his personality is developing. I wish I had better insight Ito exactly what is going on in that brain of his. It's fascinating how much he actually comprehends and it boggles my mind at how difficult speech development can be. Occasionally, an comprehensible sentence or phrase is uttered and I'm left completely speechless. The other day, while I was cleaning the outer part of his ear with a cotton ball, he looked me dead in the eye, tugged my hand away, and said "Puh-lee don't do dat." I sat there with my mouth gaping open, hoping for him to repeat himself. No such luck. It makes me realize just how fast time is flying by. Soon, he'll be talking non-stop and I'll be wishing for those days of non-comprehensible cute baby babbling.

Any ways, it's the weekend and although husband is currently at work, when Noah wakes up from his nap, I think we will make the best of what's left of a sunny, spring day. 🌞🌻🌺🌴🌱🌿🌼

Until next time - XoXo - HMBC

Napping Noah