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06
Feb, 2012

My Sweet Little Turkey Gets Sweeter

Aubrey made this all by herself - it's Dr Frankenstein in case you couldn't tell.

I share custody of Aubrey with her dad and the last couple days have been the first child-free days I’ve had in what feels like an eon. With Aubrey’s work schedule, the awards shows and then her dad travelling, it was non-stop gogogo, just Aubrey and me. It was fun, but exhausting. Like really exhausting.

After weeks like these, it’s always a bag of mixed emotions sending the kiddo off to her dad’s. Relief on one hand and sadness on the other. I do miss her and I miss having her here… except when I’m getting a full 7-8 hours of sleep. Then I’m feeling pretty ok about everything.

My friends with older kids have told me about this magical time when your child transitions out of the insanity of 3 and 4 years and turns into a delightful and charming 5 year old and I’m starting to see it happen!

Three into four was tough and I was warned. My wise mom friends said three into four makes the “terrible twos” feel like a cake walk in the park and they were right. Aubrey was a charming and easy two year old and compared to some of the insane 3 and 4 year olds I’ve met, she wasn’t too bad during her crazy days, but it was exhausting, nonetheless.

The happiest person

I’m happy to report the days of physical tantrums, the defiance, the crying for no apparent reason, the whining over every little thing… these things seem to be (I’m afraid to say it lest I jinx myself) GONE! Particularly over the last month, Aubrey has been the sweetest and easiest kid on the planet.

Even a few days ago, when I asked her to pick up her toys, she actually responded, “OK Mommy. I’ll do it right away!” WHAAAT?!! I almost died of a heart attack and I thought to myself, “OK, I must be doing SOMETHING right… Right?!”

She has been extra snuggly, extra sweet, extra cute, extra fun and extra polite. This recent development of super greatness makes me miss her even more when she’s gone.

My spring college shows start up this week which means more time away from my special pal. I’m proud of my career and so grateful to be working but I feel the pangs of guilt and thinking about these magical days slipping by so quickly breaks my heart. If only I could stay home with her when she’s so sweet and go on tour when she’s in time out. HA!

For any of you in the crazy days of three and four, there IS a light at the end of the tunnel! And to all the negative Nellys out there who have to chime in with, “Well just wait 10 years, it comes back!” Yeah yeah yeah, blah blah blah. I’m taking my cue from Aubrey and trying to live in the moment, enjoying these sweet, wonderful days when she still fits in my lap for as long as I possibly can.

That would be my arm and Nelly accompanying Aubrey down the SAG Awards red carpet

Going, Going... Gone

My one and only baby girl is turning two tomorrow. In some ways, these two years have flown by but for the most part, it has been a long journey to the place of big-girldom. If there’s anything I am as a mother, it is honest. Most would say too honest, but I think it’s important. I’m really glad the baby days are over and that’s the truth! Pthhhh!

The high chair is GONE! The crib is gone (well, almost gone… it’s in the garage and listed on Craigslist)! All in the same week my girl decided to jump out of her crib, stand up in her high chair and she even pee-peed in the potty three times! My little baby is a “big girl” now and I’m feeling emotions of, well, honestly? JOY! I will openly admit to not being a baby person. Women and moms especially are usually afraid to admit this because it makes you look like a “bad mother” to say you don’t care for babies as you’re holding one that is suckling off your breast. But I find it funny that moms are often first in line to talk about how much they dread the teenage years or the terrible twos. Yes, babies are cute (most are) and it seems a little evil to say, “I don’t like babies” but I’m into honesty. Babies are not my thing.

NOW, this being said, don’t take this to mean that I didn’t like MY baby! I totally dug her in a motherly kind of way, but doing the baby day to day was nothing short of mind numbing to me and if I didn’t have full-time help, I’m pretty sure I would have checked into the looney bin at least a year and a half ago.

Every time I heard, “Enjoy them while they’re babies. It goes fast,” I thought to my self, “Not fast enough.” Does this sound harsh? Am I going to Mommy Hell? Quite possibly, but even though I didn’t love the baby days, my daughter seems to be turning into a lovely little person.

Now that I have a toddler, I’m finding that people LOVE to warn you about the “terrible twos” and how the threes and fours are even worse. While the tantrum thing is a reality in my household now, I find it so much easier to deal with than a 10 pound person who only knows one word for everything (“WAHHH!”) and can’t even hold up her own head. That was far more frustrating and exhausting than laying my fit-throwing toddler in the middle of the living room floor and walking away from her and going about my business until she’s ready to behave like a big girl. I guess the big difference is that I know exactly why my two year old is crying and with an infant, it was a lot of guessing and failing. And a lot more crying around the clock.

But now that I have my big girl, who eats real people food, can talk in full sentences, walk and run and all the cool stuff that two year olds do, now is when I would like to freeze her in time and keep her little and adorable. Snuggly and silly. Constantly learning and exploring. She is so beautiful and fun and I know the day will come when I’m just not cool anymore. When she’ll look at me and roll her eyes. When she asks me to drop her off a block away so no one sees her with her lame-o mother. When she will just want me to leave her alone. So for now, I am enjoying my toddler while she is still my baby girl. I love having a “kid” and I know it will go fast.

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Tags: Amy Anderson • babies • growing up • post partum • terrible twos • toddlers