Toddlertown

I originally was going to write this post when Pepper was about 14 months old and I finally realised I had two toddlers on my hands. Abby was two and a half, and Pepper was walking, climbing, talking, laughing – really just not a baby anymore. It was liberating and interesting and while I had a minor “last baby” mourn the week before she turned one, I was more than ready for toddlerhood. Toddlers are THE cutest, funniest little buggers on earth, and I had two of them.

Once Pepper started hitting her 18-month milestones (which all seemed to happen at once), I found myself truly loving the two-toddler phase I was in (with the exception of that no sleep business because MAN, WHOA). While the early months meant a lot of refereeing fights, kids still escaping through the cat flap, toilet paper being utterly thrilling to throw around, paint-eating, messy mealtimes, and dual-naptime gymnastics, I felt a total shift halfway through Pepper’s first year, which is also when Abby turned three.

I remember saying in many respects having two toddlers was harder than having a toddler and a newborn. The days ARE long even though the years are short, and toddlers are forever pushing boundaries. And they have terribly short attention spans, so they don’t sit through activities for long. Keeping them entertained, fed, loved, disciplined, and out of trouble every single day is quite the feat. But at this point in my Toddlertown parenthood, I’m thoroughly enjoying it. It does get easier, as they say, and while it’s still a very busy day, it’s punctuated with so much more joy for longer stretches.

It is utterly delightful to have a cup of coffee while watching my children play in the garden warmed by the morning sun. I am probably in the minority, but I love that they can get themselves around and I’m not constantly concerned about what the baby’s crawling on, what she’s putting in her mouth, or that she needs something soft to sit on. Babies are great, and there’s no-one on earth happier than a six-month-old. They love everything. But I’m a fan of the older kid, for sure. I love activities and imagination and experiences, and while it’s totally beneficial for a baby to go to a museum and then paint dinosaur eggs back at home, it’s about a zillion times more fun when they understand and enjoy it. And I am ALL ABOUT dinosaurs and painting.

Like right now, Pepper asked Abby to hold her hand (“An? Abby? An?”) and they just walked off to the kitchen. Probably to steal cookies, just like all toddlers should.

Aaaaand now they’re fighting because one took the other’s Hello Kitty figurine.

I thoroughly enjoyed having babies. And I am beside myself at the thought of preschoolers, which is where my love of glue and glitter will really come into force. But for now, Toddlertown is where it’s at. Double toilet-training and all.

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