Oh, THIS is when the real work begins

As we excitedly celebrated Adrianna turning one and marveled at her attempts to begin walking (She has taken a total of 5 steps since July 6th!) I am nostalgic about the newborn days. The days where all Adrianna would do is eat, cry, poop and sleep...a lot. The days when she looked to me to tend to her needs, when she was predictable. The days when she didn't scream bloody murder when I try to put pants on her. Oh how I miss those days, yet I am having so much fun with my little toddler. I love that she is learning how to express herself and how to communicate with the world around her. For example, we were eating lunch at Quiznos and she happened to be sitting facing the door. She had to wave to every single person that walked through the door, she was a big hit! Everyone thought it was the cutest thing, it really is the sweetest thing ever!

It's the stuff she does that is not quite sweet that is hard work to handle. As I was getting ready to go out yesterday I spent most of the time getting Adrianna out of whatever trouble she was getting herself into. I would say "no no, if you climb that you'll get a boo boo" and she would proceed to scream and try and bite my hand. I look at her and say "biting hurts, ouch" in hopes that she will be the ONLY toddler that listens to mommy and doesn't bite ever...I know that it is inevitable but it is such a difficult behavior to handle. How about when I turn around for 2 seconds and somehow she finds an old razor of mine and is 2 inches from putting it in her mouth before I freak out and take it away and startle her. She can find anything on the floor, stuff I have never seen before, like the razor. I feel like I spend half my time getting her out of stuff and the other half trying to make her eat!

Some please explain to me why feeding a toddler is so difficult. Adrianna was never much of an eater but she at least would eat something. I give her so many options, make 3 different things, offer fruits I know she likes, but I feel like she just doesn't want to be told what and when to eat...she wants to make her own choices. It is a good personality trait to have, but come on Adrianna give mommy a break :) I make two or three different things for her to eat and she almost always chooses to eat bread. My only solution is to make that bread as healthy a choice as possible. I spread cream cheese and a little butter on it to give her protein and fats (her pediatrician actually encouraged more butter and other fats in her meals because she is so thin) maybe melt some american cheese on top or even spread applesauce on it. I am trying so hard to give her enough servings of the food groups I know she needs in order to be healthy but it is really stressful. As a mom, I know my baby needs to eat. When she doesn't eat I feel like I am not doing my job, like I am doing something wrong. I've tried reading up about it but that just made me more confused. Who has time to read 600+ page book (What to Expect: Toddler Years is ridiculous). The only thing that reading up on it helped me realize is that I am not alone.....everyone goes through what I am going through with Adrianna, at least in some form.

Having a toddler is very interesting, lots of work, but so much fun! She is such a bright, funny, imaginative little bug and we are just loving that she is becoming more and more like an actual person. She imitates us. The other day we had to go run errands and I picked her up then put on my sunglasses. She kept staring at me with them on. I went and grabbed her sunglasses, which she has never worn for more that a second, and I put them on her. She loved it! Huge smile on her face and she didn't take them off! She loved being like mommy and having sunglasses. She also picks up any object; her shoe, a book, a block, and holds it up to her ear and starts babbling away as if on the phone. So cute.

I guess as with every difficult stage she has gone through in the past, the biting stage will pass eventually. Being a mom to a toddler has been quite interesting so far and I am sure it will only get more.....interesting.

Don't let that innocent, sweet smile fool you :)