Baby No More

In the last few weeks Alder has gone through a huge shift. He has left baby-hood behind and is a full fledged toddler. Most of the changes have been beautiful to watch, his playing has become so focused. It used to be that he moved things just to move them but now he has reasons of his own that he does things.

But there are other changes that are bigger shifts for me than him. He no longer is content to sit still for very long in his stroller which means our long walks and trips to museums are over for a while. While there are parts of the day when he is content with just hanging out and exploring a single object there are other longer periods that are all about movement. During those hours he is a buzzing creature constantly on the go. I've tried to adapt, focusing our together time in places where he can freely roam rather than having to redirect him. It's a lot of fun to go to a big field and spread out a blanket and be home base for him, or to tail him around the playground.

When I can I allot three hours for a park visit or hike, that might normally be one hour. This way he can go until he is done and ready to leave. If he has had enough time he is happy to do grownup things with Mama. The catch is I'm not used to all this energy that a toddler expends, I find that by the time we are done with two or three hours playing I'm the one ready for the nap even if he isn't. We were lucky when he was new born, even back then he only got up two or three times a night. I had very few sleepless nights, but now it is catching up with me because I can not keep up with him. It's only 5pm and I'm ready for bed.