All grown up!

It's been a week full of milestones in our house! AD is finally toilet-trained during the day. I can't express to you how exciting this is for me. If you've ever had a child who is headstrong and strong willed at almost everything, then you understand why this small biological feat is so important. It's the beginning of an independence that I have craved for her. I'll admit, I've been rather lazy about training her, giving her the opportunity to figure it out herself while minimizing the mess that comes along with the whole act. There isn't much of an opportunity in life to discuss these sorts of things unless you're a parent and I didn't want to become that mother who did nothing but talk about how amazing it was when the potty was filled without prompting. Yes, there were texts sent to my husband regarding bladder functions (hers, not mine) but I refused to fret or fuss about the whole experience. Since she's my last child in diapers, I was determined to just lay low and let her figure it out. And you know what? She pretty much did. So score one for lazy parenting!

Our other milestone, closely tied to toilet-training, is that AD is in a 'big-girl-bed' now. I have to say, she's done amazing. I won't deny that there was a lot of rule setting beforehand, but she doesn't get out of bed at all. It's glorious. For now. But I'm telling you, right now I need a few wins.

With all these milestones, one might be thinking that I'm feeling nostalgic about my sweet girl growing up. Nope. Not in the least. And here's why: I am tired of toddlers. There, I said it. I'm so looking forward to the days when diapers are a thing of the past. When I'm not required to get the 33rd cup of milk for that day and they can just get it themselves. When my husband and I can have a conversation that lasts more than three minutes without one of us being interrupted about the bird flying outside or the boogie they've discovered on their finger. The Mommy-shamers would call me cruel, heartless, cold. Go ahead, if it makes you feel better. But I'm tired. Not just physically tired, because yes, I am that. But every kind of tired: spiritually, emotionally, mentally. I find it hard to enjoy life these days because of the exhaustion. I would love to say that I'm working on fixing that, but that's another post for another time.

So, as the milestones come and go, I will celebrate them and move on without a glint of sadness in my eye. I will simply revel in the fact that I've helped them on the path to growing up and becoming a person. And that's good enough for me, for now.