Introduction:
Whilst I am on holiday, I thought I’d take time away from the blog and make room for my guest blogger, who is the wonderful Marta from & Mother blog. Marta and I have been following eachother’s blogs for years now, and we were both pregnant at the same time, with her little girl Tilda arriving just a few weeks before Rose. Whilst I’ve never met Marta face to face I consider her one of my very supportive online friends. I particularly look forward to seeing the beautiful pictures and positive messages she posts about motherhood and her love of travel on Instagram – so be sure to follow her!
Ruth
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It’s official now, I live in Toddlerland. Matilda is 14 months old and a unique species of her own.
Until very recently, she needed me to do everything for her; feed her, play with her, hold her hand while she was trying to walk. Now, all she wants is freedom to do all these things for herself. Of course, she still needs my love to feel safe and close to me, but she is definitely becoming separate, independent little human being.
Was I taken by surprise? A little bit. One minute I was looking at a cherubic baby girl who is failing to point my nose each time she attempts to, and the next, I’m faced with a teeny tiny tornado on two legs.
So, what is it like to live with a toddler who is super active and curious and who is still very much in the beginning of learning how to be in charge of herself and living with others at the same time?
Let me round it up for you;
I can’t go to the bathroom without her – she assists me while I’m peeing or taking a shower.
No matter how hard I try to keep the house clean, Tillie always follows behind emptying cabinets or spilling water from a spill proof cup and spitting half chewed blueberries onto our cream couch.
I find myself watching CeeBeebes even after she’s gone to bed.
Rosti (our 12 years old Golden Retriever) spends waaaay more time outside in the patio, for her own safety.
I have more plastic cutlery than silverware.
I had to start empting my shoes before putting them on. You wouldn’t believe what I find in there.
Silence scares me!
Safety gate (or any sort of baby proofing gadget for that matter) is a challenge for her to simply prove how ineffective it is. Genuinely, I’ve never seen her concentrate on something as hard as she concentrates on getting that toilet lid open so she can through her shoe right down the hatch.
We no longer eat out at 8pm. By this stage we know all Early Bird menus in Dublin by heart.
On a positive side, I no longer need an alarm clock!
Does any of this sounds familiar to you?
So yes, living with a toddler can be challenging and days can seem endless, but even though it’s hard to imagine now, I know that one day when she stops coming to the bathroom or putting her stuff into my shoes, I will be sad, very sad. Because it’s like with bedtime. When she finally falls asleep and looks so adorable, I have an instant urge to wake her up for a hug!
Marta
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