The Terrible One and a Halves

The last little while has been a challenge with Grace. She will go from a sweet little angel to an angry little monster in a split second....with no warning....or reason. She throws her toys, her sippy cups, her food, she hits me, and hurts herself on purpose. In the end I'm left with an upset baby, a disaster of a house, and one stressed out momma. While I know this is 'normal' and a phase she is going through, it is still hard to figure out how to deal with it.

A couple of weeks ago, a friend posted a link to a blog post called Counting The Hours. That day my emotions had got the best of me, and I needed to read those words. The woman who wrote it has 5 kids... hard to imagine! As a mom, you find yourself counting the hours of sleep you get (or don't get), counting the number of hours you nurse, or rock your baby, counting down the hours til bedtime, or naptime, or hours spent cleaning, doing dishes, folding laundry. The list can go on and on.

Grace is growing and changing right before my eyes. One day I will look at her and realize she isn't a baby anymore, and I will wonder where all those hours went.

Everyday is a new challenge but I've made a promise to myself to stop counting, stay grateful, and enjoy my daughter's company, even on our most difficult days.

And besides, if the terrible twos have begun early .... they will end early too.

Right?

Five In Tow - Counting The Hours