It's Been A Long Time

I can't believe I haven't written in this blog in five months. I mean, I can and I can't. But my apologies to my readers. Here's the thing. Life is busy. BUSY. Like a bee! And I am exhausted most of the time it seems. Like prop my feet up, pour a heuugee glass of win, and devour ice cream in front of the TV while looking like a zombie exhausted.

Toddlers make me tired.

My toddler makes me tired.

Abigail is five days short of her 19-month mark. She is far less a baby and far more a kid these days. She speaks in sentences like, "Doggy go bark." Or, "I see 'em, mama." And the way her sweet little bow of a mouth moves when she talks, and the sound of her voice is absolutely one of the most adorable sights and sounds ever.

Except when it's not. Which is usually when she has thrown herself onto the floor with hot tears streaming down her chubby cheeks, and a face as red as a beet as she screams about something but most of the time you aren't...quite...sure...what.

Abbey is also walking. Strike that. Running. Well, attempting to run. Today that resulted in a faceplant on concrete and a fat lip. But it's clear that she wants her little body to move a lot faster than it's currently able.

Abbey loves music. She always has, but this love grows deeper all the time. But now it's really becoming a necessity. Her daycare gave us a CD of her class' favorite tunes. Old standards like "You Are My Sunshine" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider" make an appearance. And new favorites like "Animal Action" or the "Freeze" dance have become standard. So standard that a recent family vacation involving a 3 hour card ride would have been pure unadulterated hell had it not been for this CD. One minute - screaming. Pop the CD in, and next thing you know there's a smiley, happy toddler clapping her hands and bobbing along to "Slippery Fish" in the back seat. So we are now officially "that couple" who drives along while listening to kids tunes. Go ahead and mock us now.

But I think the biggest surprise I've faced is the non-stop action this kid employs. She is one busy bee. Always going. And though she still takes an afternoon nap, it's really more a time of quick re-set. Like the production crew between the matinee and evening performance. You're really spending that time running around like a maniac trying to put some sense of order into the chaos that was the preceding four-six hours.

I'll tell you one thing, though. At the end of the day, on that sweet, "Love you, Mama" is the perfect prelude to the recovery cocktail. And mommy's reset button.