Grown Ups.

Something happened when we went to America.

Before we left, I could have sworn that I had one baby and one toddler. The baby was this sweet little girl who was just learning to walk. The toddler was this social little boy in size 2 pants with a padded diaper butt.

Now….NOW!

We seem to have returned with a toddler and a pre-schooler.

Now one of them seems to be this little toddler who is full of Trouble. (Capital T intended.) The other is wearing Big Person pants (straight legs, belt loops, cuffed at the bottom…none of this baggy-in-the-butt, stretchy business!) and can carry on a conversation (better) and can (occasionally) see reason when a tantrum looks like it's about to hit.*

Baby Meg….er, Toddler Meg is fully walking now. She has the happiest happy-face ever - from her toothy grin and squeely little laugh to her scrunched up little nose and squinty eyes, you can tell when little girl is happy! Her newest game is walking along behind a toy car or the baby-swing, pushing it in circles and squealing "weeeee!" Cute. cutecutecutiecute! Her favourite way to tell us she is tired is to do something she knows she shouldn't. (See? Trouble!) Why yawn when you're ready for a nap when you can try to push the button on the power points? Why rub your eyes like a normal baby when it's bed time when you can try to get into the fireplace enclosure? The best worst part is, she'll look us right in the eye, grin at us, and then do the exact thing she's not supposed to! All the while chanting "no! non ono!" Cheeky. Teenagehood, I'm a little scared of you already! But she loves sharing food - especially her soggy pretzels pushed into your mouth with tiny, precise fingers while she stands inches from your face giggling.

Oh sigh, little girl.

And the little boy! Walking through the LA airport, just past security and some of the grumpiest travelling-for-days, kinda smelly sort of people, and Trip makes it his personal mission to say hello to each and every one of them. Cue the smiles lighting off like a wave of electricity as we walk down the dim hallway. At least we don't have to worry about losing Trip in a public place - we'll look for the crowd of people smiling at their knees.

Toddler-hood with its tantrums and peculiarities has been a struggle, but this past week or so I feel like I started to get a little glimpse out the other side! Trip can carry on a conversation now, and will remember and reference previous conversations. "We went fishing with Pop-pop. Remember Mommy, 'member?" "We liked the yellow guys on the TV at Aunt Kiki's. 'Member Daddy?" (He remembers watching the Australian team play in the World Cup at my sister's house in VA probably 3 weeks ago! How cool is that?!!!)  That's not to say that he doesn't have to sit in time-out at least once a day for hitting/pushing/pinching/licking his sister, but sometimes I'll catch him walking up to her and giving her a kiss on the head, too. We're working on sitting at the table until everyone is finished, and daddy took the 3rd wheel off of our balance bike the other day.

Oh, little baby boy. Cue the toddler saying, "I not a baby Mom! I'm Trip!!!"

Here are some before & after photos:

Before USA: The Toddler in his natural habitat.

Before: Baby Meg, just keeping her balance on 2 feet!

Before: Bedtime Baby, no acts of Trouble required.

Bebe Meg consoling her Toddler brother (Also: LOVE!)

After: Toddler girl Meg with Aunt Kiki!

After: Big Child Trip, bustin' a rug at the Pub!

After: SEE??? She's doing crosswords for heaven's sake!

Leaving the US - catch me if you can, muahaha!

Little Baby Boy Sweet Child on the plane with his own seat/headset/movie to watch!

See! There must have been something in the water to make these kids grow! Or it was all that extra lovin' they got from their American family. Not, you know….the natural passage of time or whatever. Pft. Nonsense.

Time to go sneak into these kids' room and kiss them on the head one more time before tomorrow comes and they are both teenagers who will yell at their Mum for entering their space…...

xox
Cara



*Toddlers, as you may have gathered, are all grey area.  Somewhere between baby and child they jump back and forth into both categories in a confusing jumble of emotions that keeps all of us on our toes!