Sunday 8 July 2012

Reflections on 'Age Two'

Ahhhhh, two.

Such a gorgeous little age, I just love it! I have been soooo looking forward to hitting this milestone.


Always monkeying around!


I think every (most?) parent ends up with ages and stages they love and other ages and stages they love... a little less. There are pros and cons to every age, and needless to say we love the little monkey's fiercely through the highs and lows, but I think most parents have preferred and less preferred stages. For me, (though admittedly still at the starting gates on the whole parenting gig so I can't really speak beyond age 3 at the moment, lol!) I just adore the snuggly newborn days, or rather find them pretty straight forward for the most part.

I think I gotta say my less favourite stage is the season from about 9-18 months. Yes, it has plenty of huge highlights full of sweet milestones -the first steps, first words and all that excitement. But gee, it is a busy age - little tykes with heaps of intention, places to go, things to get into and put in their mouths or ears or nose, all the while struggling to communicate with the world about what they want, whilst they also struggle to understand what this life is that is going on around them, and why they can't immediately have everything they want at every moment - life is tough for them! So many precious highs but yeah, I just find it pretty exhausting to be honest! Then of course this phase is quickly followed by the mother of all developmental leaps from 18-21 months but then.... and having gone through it with Lily I knew what was on the other side of the battlefield.... two.

Two, I find just gorgeous. They are talking more and more, can sit and engage and 'play' more intentionally and with less supervision, understand, reason to an extent, delay gratification and more. They become so much more independent (both my kiddos are toilet trained before two so that helps I'm sure) - able to do more for themselves and help with simple tasks too. Sure, the little cherubs can have a high old time making their wishes known around this age, but with lots of loving and firm boundaries and consistency, I find it's a pretty clear path through those issues if I stick at it.

So... I have been looking forward to hitting this milestone with my little guy. I remember passing 'two' with Lily and on the other side all of a sudden I realised - wow, so things aren't always going to be as crazy full-on as it is with a baby/crawler/young toddler? When you are in it and just doing it, you don't even realise how relentless the work/supervision is until all of a sudden it pulls back! Two was the marker for me for the movement out of babyhood and into toddler/childhood and while I of course love and cherish many sweet moments in those early years, there is also something satisfying about hitting this two year mark.

Baby no more, he is my big boy now!

Of course, Eli's Two-ness is yet to be fully experienced but even in the last month or two I have seen us cross over to this phase. He is such a little man now, able to play, chat, tell stories (in very short sentences and words but still, the boy can tell a tale or two!), engage for ages with his sister, play games, put away laundry, follow simple tasks and even do craft activities without eating all the glue or swiping everything to the floor in four seconds!!

It was also a shock to realise that at this age, Lily had already been a big sister for a whole three weeks whereas Eli gets another whole six months to be the youngest. He seems so much older than Lily did when she got her baby brother... I'm sure helped by the fact he has his sister always teaching and guiding him? 

My little man.... I look forward to walking through this year with you, soaking up your gorgeous smile and watching you take on the world in your own special way - with vigour, joy and passion!

PS I'm sure every parent reading this may have totally different stages they love more or less - this is just my own personal preferences thus far! Eg I know many Mamas who struggle with the newborn phase but adore a crawling little bubba! Maybe we could arrange swaps for some of these differering seasons, haha! Feel free to share in the comments about your fave/less fave stages.

10 comments:

  1. Hmm, I'm loving Tilly's age at the moment, 19 months, and I'm also really looking forward to her hitting two as Ruby was such an angel at the age. My least favourite so far has been 3 - that was a tough year, but then I had just brought a new born home who was competing for mumma's attention. But they are all different and I'm sure Tilly will be the totally opposite to her sister, so far she has been in every other way possible.

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  2. As much as the toddler years can be quite challenging, I prefer them to the first twelve months of a newborn/baby. I like the sleep, I like being able to hand them food, I like them to be able to tell me if they want a drink, all that kind of stuff. Newborns are cute and I did enjoy my second baby as a newborn much more than my first, but I still like to be able to run around with them, laugh and play games. There are great parts to all ages and definitely mighty large challenges with all ages too! It's all part and parcel of the overall wonderfulness, hey :)

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    1. totally Vanessa - highs and lows! i know quite a few mamas who find the baby stage tough but once they can talk/engage its a whole other ballgame. good thing they are so cute throughout it all!

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  3. Loved reading this post. My little one is 14 months and is my first so it is great to hear about different ages and what to look forward to. I have loved it all so far but I can see that when he starts to become a little more independent I will probably be shocked at just how busy I have been and how intense this stage has been. Also come to think of it I have to say I am not too fond of the whole teething routine. We are on the last molar before the 2 year old teeth come so I do admit that is a milestone I am looking forward reaching!

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    1. oh 14 month olds are the busiest little bees, arent they!!! but so charming and fun - yes i didnt even realise till i came out of it how intense and hands on that stage was.... so the 2nd time around it was kinda nice to see it coming but also know its not forever! so glad the teething bit is phasing out... that always throws a spanner in the works!

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  4. I think I would love the newborn stage if my babies 1. Slept 2. Didnt have reflux ;-) . I REALLY struggle between 0-5 months. give me a sleepy, comfortable baby and I think I would rock the newborn stage ;-) .
    So I must be the opposite to you as I kinda love the crawling phase. Hey we're all different plus our babies are different!
    Im with you on the 18 mth stage , whoa thats hard. 2 years I loved with Finn and found it easy but 2 with harper hasnt been the same easy ride!
    Loved hearing your reflections! And you are right eli has grown up so much over the past few months :-) .

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    1. yes amber i think those big factors would colour that newborn stage somewhat - you had a big challenge there which you took on w grace like you do everything! they do like to keep us on our toes for every stage dont they ;)

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  5. I loved the "twos" completely delightful! Enjoy:)

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  6. I can honestly say that as a mom with three kiddos and a fourth on the way your fave age can fluctuate greatly depending on "which one" you're talking about. With Oscar, I loved EVERY STAGE because he was my one and only and I found everything he did fascinating. By the time Milo came on scene 19 months later, I was convinced I had the parenting thing on lockdown! (I firmly believe this is why most second children are what I like to call the 'curve ball'.) Milo put us in our place. He wasn't "bad", but man was he different! By the time he was coming into the toddler stage, Oscar hit three. And my angel boy was no more. He discovered the word 'no', and he stuck with it. That was a hard time for us because Al was at sea and I feel he was reacting emotionally to the situation and Mama was worn out from being the only one with a three yr old and 18 month old. Now, they're 6, 4 and Eli is one going on seven. I've never seen a baby more convinced that he's just as big, strong, and capable as their older sibling. I confess that 9-18 months used to be my fave stage until he started WALKING just before he hit that mark. My entire life is now about baby gates, choking hazards, and "listening for silence". So, in that regard, I'm looking forward to 2 as well. Of course, by the time Eli is 2, this newest fella will be 6 months old. So....at that point I think my fave stage will be when they graduate high school and move out. :) -----Morgan

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    1. so true Morgs the kids are all so different and you have been through all kinds of adventures w your crew (i marvel at you!) and yep i think kids personalities play a big part! that said, my two are VERY different in temperament and personality but i wasnt so much reflecting on my fave stages pesonality or behaviour wise, so much as the developmental stages, you know? with a focus group of only two so far but night and day in personality, i still found i prefer/less-prefer the same stages in a developmental sense! thats just me anyway! but yeah i know each of them come w their own quirks and charms! ;)

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