Help Mummy, I'm a toddler!

Where an earth has Contented Mummy been? The answer is: breeding a toddler. Suddenly the gentle ’contented’ life of being mum to a baby has mutated into a frazzled existence now Little L is developing into a toddler.

First came food. I’m sure I spend as much analysis and experimentation on working out what to put into her daily as they have done trying to find a cure for cancer. I never thought I’d be such an expert on stool consistency and what it means.

Then comes movement. Crawling at 7 months, pulling herself up to standing at 9 months. By the time she’s 10 months Little L is edging round the furniture incurring a few ‘oh-didn’t-quite-catch-you-that-time’ bumps and bruises for good measure. Now she is 14 months we’re in two legged transport training and it’s wobbly progress.

Last but no means least is speech. This is less exhausting and completely enchanting. She is discovering this profitable world of communication with great enthusiasm. The girl has quickly learned to call for the people she wants to boss around, amuse herself with songs or tell me ‘no’ she doesn’t want my homemade pasta sauce.

So of course my husband and I are tired all the time but that‘s nothing compared to the confusion and frustration Little L is going through. It’s all very primal to watch her stagger like a newborn foal on two feet to reach Mr Snuffles her cuddly obligatory companion. I can see real fear in her eyes when I leave the room, as if I’m never coming back. This isn’t a fine display of amateur dramatics, it’s pure innocence. In a strange way, it helps me put many facets of my every day life into perspective, on balance making me less stressed.

In amongst all this I went back to work. Frankly, I could write a seperate blog on what that is like but I’m sure that would end up being more self indulgently therapeutic rather than compelling for other readers. For now I will just share that I understand those parents who say ‘you’ll never have any time to yourself’. My day consists of: drive, work, drive, her tea, bath, bed, our tea, housework/ other stuff, fall asleep in front of telly.

Am I still ‘contented’? Well yes and that’s the honest truth. I may be tired and not have many moments to myself but I love sharing my time with Little L. It would be great not to have to work but do enjoy my days in the office for a sense of achievement that’s not around being a parent. It’s been a whirlwind of change that keeps on blowing around me but I’m learning to adapt and accept this wonderful family pace of life.