I just found this unfinished, unpublished blog post and wow, time flies. Today as I hear my older kids fighting over the rules of the game they are playing, I actually miss having a toddler in our home.

This morning I was in the middle of making oatmeal when my toddler went upstairs to play. I know better than to let that go on for long without investigation. After 5 minutes I went up to find her- sitting in the bathroom sink. In her footy pajamas and a poopy diaper and wearing her big sister’s hooded sweatshirt. She was sucking toddler toothpaste out of the tube while letting the water from the faucet pour over her lap. Thankfully the water was on cold, the toothpaste wasn’t something toxic and she didn’t fall while getting herself situated in the sink. Yesterday I’m not sure she could even do those things.

Last night she screamed her head off (for a long time) at the dinner table because we wouldn’t let her chew on the big wedge of parmesan cheese. We gave her plenty of parm, she just wanted the motherlode. She daily throws her food, tries to bite her siblings and climbs our “art cart” to get pencils and markers. She drew on our keyboard this morning and the wall yesterday. And that’s just a small sampling of the last 24 hours.

She loves to put her shoes in the dog water, her hands in my ice water and her whole body on the kitchen table. She is crazier than our last two toddlers by far. Brian has been calling her “monsty” because she’s total monster status (hence her 2nd birthday theme.)

Our house is well-thought out and organized and toddler “proofed” as best as we can. But other people besides her live here who need the use of pencils and sinks and toothpaste. There are only so many places “up high” to put all our things. Consequently, most of my energy is going toward managing chaos.

It’s really easy to forget the moster part of toddlers when you don’t have one living in your home. What we remember is the way they said “packpack” and “shoooes” and their squatty and squishy little bodies. We remember the magic and somehow we forget how utterly exhausting those years were. Probably because we look back at photos like this. And because the good outweighs the hard most of the time and that is what sticks. There is monster and magic in every stage of parenting (even the teenage years we are currently entering.) Try not to wish away the one you’re in today!