The holidays are over and the new year has come and gone. And for many teachers like myself it is back to reality. The vacation is over. The staying up late and sleeping in with my little one cuddled up next to me are done. The guilty Netflix binge-watching while eating unhealthy snacks is over too…until the week of Spring Break, that is. I don’t even watch TV during the school week. I can’t find the time. Better yet, I don’t have the time.
Vacation Memories, and Lots of Conversation
I really do love and enjoy every single second of my time at home with my daughter. This is our 3rd holiday break together and by far it was the busiest. We didn’t travel anywhere, but the toddler twos are definitely a nonstop trip.
If you could peek in and look at a day in our lives, you’d hear me basically narrate my ENTIRE life. All day. Every day. This isn’t by choice, trust me. I truly don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that I get asked “why” at least a million times a day. Also there’s the favorite, “Mommy, what are you doing?” And, again, the ever-present, “Why?”
My little one also spends a lot of time singing when she’s playing with her toys. She loves to sing and often starts to narrate her own life story in song. And after 100+ times of “What are you doing mommy?” while we were in the car, I even began to sing my response back to her. It seemed to be a suitable answer, for a whole five minutes.
I honestly think the only time the house was quiet was during her afternoon naps. And it wasn’t like I could get up and do stuff around the house, either. I’m convinced that she can smell me if I leave the room. Heck, she opened her eyes a few times if I just managed to sit up on the bed. Her nap time routine consists of laying next to me, sometimes holding my hand until she falls asleep. Other times she’d rather not and says, “Leave me alone, mommy (insert broken heart emoji here).”
Speaking Her Mind
There’s nothing more real than the honesty of a toddler, your tiny toddler to be exact. During the break she not only pointed out my holiday acne breakout, “Mommy you have a pimple, a big pimple,” but she even asked me if I was having a baby when she saw me changing my shirt! Funny thing is that she asks me to point out her pimples and when I tell she doesn’t have any she cries and says, “Please mommy, please.” She’s also convinced that she has a baby in her tummy like mommy. She wants to be just like me. That’s both sweet, yet scary. (P.S.: I am not pregnant, I just like food, okay? Plus it was the holidays, so give me a break!)
I don’t do New Year’s resolutions because I’m guilty of never following through, but I do want to be the best mom I can be for her not just for the new year, but forever.
This little person, without knowing, allows me to teach her everyday language by my daily boring narrations, and she’s also learned that love does not see pimples or fluffy tummies as a flaw. She loves unconditionally and I plan to continue showing her that love has no boundaries. She loves me, and I absolutely love everything about her.
She is always so proud of me too. I remember when we visited a public bathroom and she started clapping and yelling while in the stall with me “Yay, mommy you did it! You went potty!” When I heard the lady in the next stall giggling, I knew I was on the right track with my little one. I sing her praises all day and in return she does that to others. She definitely has a cheerleader attitude for life, and it is such a joy to see it.
