grandmothers, stages and phases

Grandmothers have a level of energy that is...something. As our little one rarely lets us eat a meal in peace, it's difficult to remain patient. As she gets tired of being in the car for long drives, it's tough to muster up the constant energy to entertain her.

Long after our energy runs out, Grandma and Gran Gran's keep on going. Like the Energizer Bunny. Case in point, on our recent trip, Marilyn (Joe's mom, aka Gran Gran) sat in the backseat and entertained Hannah all the way to Alabama and back. What would we have done without her? Obviously, one of us would have sat back there. But I can tell you for sure, we wouldn't have had the energy to sing, read, and make animal sounds for hours straight. It was truly wonderful to have her with us.

Peace for all.

At this moment, my child is tearfully clinging to my lap, desperate for attention...

2 hours later.


And that's a-whole-nother subject: being a stay-at-home-mom. Most of the time, I love being at home with Hannah. However, sometimes I find myself wanting to run down the street screaming. There are times when I feel I cannot think straight. The more mobile Hannah is, the busier my life gets. No need for the warnings - I realize it will get much busier...

I get so excited when Hannah is doing something new. But just as I start to tell people cute or funny stories, she's on to something else.

Example:  I didn't think Joe or I say "oh wow!" a lot, but apparently Hannah has gotten it from somewhere. A couple weeks ago for several days straight she said it constantly. (As I was having her 1-year pictures taken, all she said the whole time was "Oh wow! Oh wow!" Sometimes it's oh wee or oh way...) Very cute. And very random. Now, for the last week, we can't get her to say it. What the heck? Joe thinks she does these things on purpose. She doesn't want them to get overused, so now she's just saving 'em up...

I am becoming more and more aware, the stages and phases kids go through. They'll be really into something, and then just like that they won't anymore. It makes you realize how fast it all goes by. Not that it's always bad that phases pass by quickly. Right now, Hannah is into shredding paper/tissue/toilet paper and emptying the contents of cabinets and drawers. Let me tell you how old this one gets...

The faces say it all.

We will be putting locks on all of the kitchen cabinets (the cleaners under the sink are already locked - which really confuses her) asap. As soon as we do, you know it'll be something else.