Enjoying Toddlerhood

Recently, I saw a video posted on AskMoxie (which is one of the blogs I'm following, if you look over to the right) that was in the "It Gets Better" vein, regarding toddlers. I thought it was a wonderful video and did a great job of dealing with the particular frustrations and problems toddlers bring, but also reminding parents that it doesn't last forever.

But it also got me thinking about how much I really do like this age. Don't get me wrong - Ronan is a very stubborn and independent little guy, which can cause a lot of headaches! (I certainly can't imagine where he gets this from.) But he's also so sweet and loving. It's been amazing to watch him grow and develop, especially as his language skills have taken off. He talks about friends, plays imaginary games with his toys and animals, he loves to help me cook (which definitely falls into one of those categories of cute but draining), etc. While I know it'll be a big adjustment for all of us, I'm interested to see how he handles being a big brother.

He gave Tom and I a huge scare the other day though. We were getting ready to go play outside, but I had to finish getting myself ready. When I came out of my room, Ronan was nowhere to be found. The door leading to the dogs' area was unlocked, so I ran out there, but couldn't see him. The gate leading out of there was also unlocked, which really scared me. So I ran back in to check with To if he'd seen him - nope. We both threw on shoes and ran outside, combing our yard and our neighbors' but without a trace of him. Finally, on his second sweep of the house, Tom found Ronan in the kitchen. I completely broke down and wouldn't let go of him for a good five minutes. I was really terrified that we had lost him. Our best guess is that he had gone down to the garage and was playing in my car, but eventually went back upstairs. I think I scared him pretty well though. The rest of the day, if I called him, he immediately answered "I'm right here!!"

Other than that, things are going pretty well. I have about four weeks left till my due date and am now doing weekly doctor's appointments. Speaking of which, I need to get ready for the next one. Adios!