All of Fourteen Months

Forgot to post this one. She'll be 15 months next week. Oh, well. Better late than never!

"I swear," Nate says as he comes in the door at dinnertime after teaching, "I think she got older while we were gone today."

Well, yeah. She did. (We all did.) But - oh my goodness - she did!! Sometimes she seems to change so quickly she's an older baby in the short time it takes me to take a shower.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm too much of a pushover. I ran across this online:

"By the time your child is six, you will have reached what one psychologist we talked to calls "planned detachment." Your child will check in for breakfast, be out the door, check in for lunch, and be gone again. You'll say "You're looking well, dear," you'll write a note to remind him of chores, and finally at dinner you'll get to talk some. After dinner some card playing, singing, or other family-oriented activity reconnects you with the individual who used to stick to you like Velcro."

Okay. I can deal with that. Just knowing I'll be in the shower missing her in six short years makes the 2-minute-quickies-so-I-don't-have-a-FULL-on-tantrum a little easier to deal with.  ;)

The same article also said this:

"The time between the ages of fourteen and eighteen months is very hard for mothers. The high-energy toddler wants to do everything, but he still needs mother involved "big time." Mothers of one-year-olds need to gear up for this marathon spurt of giving, because the tendency is to think "Ah, now he's one – I'll be able to ease off." You will eventually, but not yet. Hang in there through age eighteen months, then be alert for signs that your toddler is trying to make space between you."

Now, I know every baby is different (and I would like to add that "hard" does not necessarily = "unpleasant." Being a mommy is wonderful, but it is hard!) but I think this is a great description of where we're at. Me, looking forward to getting different things done more often, like dishes, ironing, and (gasp!) maybe an art project or two. Eden, getting into anything and everything but sticking really close to Mommy (the velcro analogy is spot-on). It's so helpful to read things like this because it reminds me that every moment is precious, so fleeting, and worth remembering.