Mommy Milestone #2

The last few days have been interesting. Alice is becoming herself...finally? I've had a whole year of "easy" parenting where the kid just happens to do exactly what I want/expect her to do...most of the time. Just this week, however, I feel like that is changing.

I always think these new developments are permanent, thinking I'll never get used to the new behavior and I'll always feel stunned and incompetent. Just talking about this now reminds me that I've felt like this before. Alice was almost 9 months old. Here's what I wrote about it then. Funny how that's EXACTLY what I'm feeling right now.

So maybe I just need to retool my approach to Alice. She's a toddler, after all, and no longer a baby. She attempts to climb on everything. She throws herself on the floor when frustrated. She has clear opinions about what she would like to do next, though she is strangely obedient and very gentle for someone so little. She also has the patience of a saint...a toddler saint, perhaps, but patience nonetheless.

So, since I'm a planner, here's what I'll do:

1) Look up the kinds of developmental milestones 1-year-olds are working on. I hope this will give me perspective and empathy. Maybe this will also help with communication.

2) Pay attention to the kinds of activities she likes to do and find creative ways to bring more of these activities into our day. I'm always up for something a little different. Maybe she'll like climbing over a pile of cushions? We'll see.