We no longer have any babies in our house. Quinton has reached his terrific twos and Clara her wonderful ones. So now we have reached a whole new territory that I as a mother have no idea how to handle. Here are some of the new things my kids have learned.
Clara
1. Clara has been walking for about a month now. She is feeling very comfortable with her toddling abilities, which means she is also very comfortable with getting into the cupboards, the dishwasher, and the garbage can. Put her in another room and her lightning-quick speed will bring her back in about 3 seconds.
2. She walks the walk and now she is talking the talk. Her communication skills are increasing with words like more, up, and Ahh! She likes to remind us over and over too. Mo-mo-mo-mo-mo-mo-mo-mo... up-up-up-up-up... Ahh!
3.Finally, Clara has learned how to defend herself from opposing forces, namely Quinton. She is very adept at hitting, biting, shoving, and yelling. That's our little princess.
Quinton
1. Quinton learned how to climb out of his pack and play over Christmas break, which led to climbing out of his crib, which leads now to climbing out of his toddler bed 43 times a night. My sweet son who used to be in his crib from 8 pm to 8 am and for 2-3 hours for a nap is now our alarm clock that bursts through the door at 5:30 in the morning singing, "Hi, Daddy!" Which leads Mom and Dad with little hair left to pull.
2. Yesterday Quinton started opening the fridge. We have yet to see all the possibilities that could come of this.
3. Quinton has developed quite an extensive vocabulary and we can even understand about a third of it. This is pretty cute most of the time when he holds conversations with us, but not so cute when he gets into a debate with us about needing a band-aid for his toe. I think our kids are almost as stubborn as we are.
4. Lately Quinton has sometimes found joy in hiding from his Mommy when he doesn't want to do something. All of a sudden he just disappears and is quiet long enough for panic to rise in my heart. I run around the house in a mad frenzy (or occasionally our apartment complex) screaming his name until I finally find him grinning in the closet or he pops out of seemingly nowhere. I'm sure I'll laugh in the afterlife at the scene that is played out from this talent of his.
I have been overwhelmed chasing Quinton and Clara lately. So I'm venting with a little sense of humor to relieve some of the stress. I love my children dearly and I know they won't stay toddlers forever. I will try to enjoy them for now but also hope for a time when my biggest concerns aren't naps and diaper rashes.
