Don't Blink!

It's a whirlwind life...the life of mom, wife, instructor, etc....and there are two ways to look at it:

Negatively -

For the past few weeks Savannah's "perfect" status has been tested. She used to be so good about time-outs and would sit in her naughty spot and cry, but after her time was up she'd get a hug and a kiss and that was that. She went on to play happily and was fine...I want that phase back! We have recently been faced with temper tantrum after temper tantrum...first it was all about where she sat to eat her meals (the high chair is now long gone and a pink booster is in place)...and then it's because we moved something to the wrong spot (at least according to her)...and then it's because we read her a book but she wanted to play with her shoes...

Sunday night, after a particularly long weekend filled with several major tantrums (one meltdown was so violent she made her kind of choke and throw up...who knew toddlers could do that?!) I told Carl that recently, being a mom has been absolutely NO fun. It seems in all the books about motherhood and parenting, etc. no one mentions that toddlers can be so indecisive and impatient! I keep telling myself that she can't carry on like this forever, and I can't give in to her demands all the time...but it's so hard when all day you've heard crying or whining and you just need a break! We've started to pick our battles a bit more wisely...the main rule is that Savannah only eats at the table (this has caused some meltdowns because for various reasons she thinks she can walk around and eat - I barely have time to clean the table after meals, I certainly don't have time to clean the entire house!). I also know what to expect from Savannah depending on the time of day...so I try to plan our days accordingly. This weekend was a rough one though...it should have been filmed for a commercial for birth control. Honestly.

Positively -

The other day, after we returned from a night out to dinner, I offered to let Savannah push the button to put the garage door down. She does this often and seems to really enjoy it. She always turns and waves once it goes down...often telling it "bye". In that moment the other night I really took a good look at her, trying to memorize that moment. So many thoughts went through my mind...What will she look like in 5 years? Will she be this adorable? Will I remember this innocence?...I wish I could just record every single moment (OK - maybe not every moment - read above.) but I wish I could record all kinds of things in her life...just because in a blink they will be gone, she will be grown, and it will just be Carl and I again. I want to cry every time I think about that...that Savannah is growing up right before my eyes - at warp speed. It also made me realize and somewhat understand Kate Gosselin. So many are quick to jump on the bandwagon of hatred for her...but in that moment I fully understood why a mother would welcome camera crews in to record all kinds of moments in the lives of 8 children. If I feel like I'm missing out and will lose memories of Savannah - just one child - Kate Gosselin probably had a justified reason to worry.

In my attempt to keep every precious memory recorded, I recently posted a video on facebook of Savannah saying "hi" and then what she deems "jumping"...it's just too cute. I'm sure some of my FB friends find it actually kind of boring...but I love to see it, and to know I've recorded just a tiny bit of her cuteness.

So in life, there's the positive and the negative...without the negative the positive just wouldn't be as sweet...so I'll try to remember all those positive moments the next time a temper tantrum erupts...