Only the Good Stuff

It is easy for me, when I’m dealing with toddler shenanigans the way I was last week, to forget how wonderful my kids really are. So, I’ve decided to dedicate this post to pointing out only the good stuff.

• Tiny and Buba are awesome in public. I never worry about going out with my kids because they are always so well behaved. They’re good about listening and following directions at playgroup, gymnastics, and storytime, and rarely fuss or throw a fit when it’s time to leave a fun activity. Just this week, after a playdate at the playground, I needed to run into the grocery store for just a few items. The kids wanted to walk, but I couldn’t hold both hands and carry the grocery basket. So, I held Buba’s hand, and he held Tiny’s hand. They kept a good pace, didn’t touch anything (as I had instructed), and sat nicely on the bench near the self checkout while I rang-up the items, paid for them, and put them in our shopping bag.

• My kids are great at comforting one another. When Buba wakes up cranky from his nap (which happens quite frequently), Tiny is quick to get him his stuffed koala or baby doll and tries to comfort him. And recently, when Tiny fell while running through the house, Buba sat down next to her and rubbed her back while I tried to soothe her and make sure she wasn’t injured.

• Both Tiny and Buba have been relatively easy to potty train. Tiny practically trained herself in a day at 22 months old, and hasn’t had an accident in months. She still wears a diaper at night, but occasionally wakes up dry. Buba’s potty training has taken longer, but in the grand scheme of things, hasn’t been too bad. He is fully pee trained during waking hours, and is just starting to feel comfortable pooping on the potty (instead of in his nap or nighttime diaper). He also has not had any major accidents within the last few months. Oh, and they’re both using the big potty now about 90% of the time. Awesome.

• I’m sure any mom will say this, but my children have the sweetest little singing voices and the cutest little laughs. I never get tired of hearing Buba and Tiny sing, and I am so amazed by the number of songs they can sing entirely by themselves. They love to make up songs by putting new words to familiar tunes and giggle themselves silly when they sing nonsense songs to each other.

• Both Buba and Tiny love books. They’ve recently begun to enjoy stories that are a little longer than the typical board book, and will often bring books to T or me and request that we read to them. They both can read a handful or so of their favorite books by themselves (from memory, of course). And my heart just melts when I see them sitting side by side reading books to each other.

I know I’m so fortunate to have happy, healthy kids. They definitely drive me crazy some days, but I still wouldn’t have it any other way.