Toddler Roller Coasters

Toddler life is one crazy roller coaster.

There are UPS and DOWNS

smiles and frowns

and lots in between.

If I'm being 100% honest, I was naive in thinking that the terrible twos and threes were light years away and that life with a little one under two was always pretty fun and pleasant.  I had no idea that babies start throwing tantrums well before they turn two.  I'm sure that's hilarious to all you seasoned parents or caregivers out there.  Truth is that I was clueless about babies before I had my own.  I did a lot of babysitting, but I obviously blocked some things out since they weren't my children.

Olive definitely has an opinion about most things.

She's getting more and more vocal.

It's adorable and terrifying all in the same breath.

I love hearing her babble and say new words:

WHOA

Oh my

What's This?

Down

Caaaaaaat 
Hey Ma

and lots more

She's also using her newfound voice to share her opinions with us.  Olive wants us to know that: She does not like riding in a shopping cart for very long, she gets bored in her car seat if no one is talking to her, she wants to climb our stairs all day every day, she loves being in our backyard, she is not a fan of having her diaper or clothes changed and she would much rather eat off of my plate than her own.

Toddlerhood is a wild ride.

I often joke that toddlers are from another planet.  

They are unpredictable, yet love routines.  They love something one day and think it's torture the next.  They love green beans one day and throw them the next.  They have a wonderful day one day and fall apart the next even though you did everything the same.  Oh and they are frequently teething - which means all bets are off and you just have to pray their teeth come in quickly and that they are sprouting teeth and not horns - haha.

I've learned patience is the key.  

It's so easy to react when your toddler hits you, screams at you or turns into a limp noodle and refuses to do what you are asking them.  Not reacting is better than getting upset and I pray for patience e.v.e.r.y. day.  Olive could easily get all of my attention all the time if I let her.  I try not to give in to her tantrums and try to minimize the toddler hoopla.  It's easier to do this when we are at home in familiar settings and much more of a challenge when we are out and about.  We are both definitely practicing patience and being well behaved in all settings. 

Olive has thrown tantrums in the car, in Target, at story time, at church and everywhere in between.  She will have a complete meltdown and then be fine 10 minutes later.  She seems to have a short memory and DISTRACTION is usually our go to method for dealing with her outbursts.  She's too tiny to rationalize with right now so we try to move on to the next thing.  It's working for us so we'll probably stick with it.  I know it's important to get out and about so we do, but I'm not going to lie, it is a bit exhausting.  Amen??

She's our little tornado and she gets into everything.  She watches our every move waiting for us to leave a chair pulled out or something within her reach that we don't normally allow her to play with.  We've found her on top of the desk, tables and walking around with a knife left from dinner.  We are getting better and better at knowing her tricks and being one step ahead of her.  She's a sneaky one and we are constantly on high alert.  Being a first time parent is a bit crazy at time.  Sometimes my husband and I just look at each other and laugh because we can hardly believe our eyes.

We sure love our daughter, but we had no idea how wonderfully hard parenting can be.

 Olive is giving kisses, understanding simple commands, interacting with people, repeating us (slightly frightening) and eager to do things without our help.  She brings us her shoes when she wants to go outside and will walk to the door when we say we are going bye bye.  She thinks she's pretty funny and wants us to laugh at her silly things.  Favorite books and toys captivate her interest during play time and we are loving watching all the new things she's learning every day of this toddler roller coaster.  She's a joy and a handful all wrapped up in a cute little girl package.

So the moral of the story is... 

toddlers are fun, wonderful, sweet, sassy and a challenge.

Love them lots and remind yourself that they won't be toddlers forever.
I take lots of pictures to document this wild ride.
I have a feeling she'll think it's funny to hear stories about her toddler days.

A glimpse of toddlerhood at our house...

NEVER a dull moment :)

 Sure do love you Olive.

Love, Mama