It's Tough Being One...

So, Kate turned 18 months old today, and there are SO MANY things I love about this age...and there are SO MANY things that I loathe about this age. Let's see how many of them my mom friends understand. :)

LOVE: She absolutely adores me.

HATE: She absolutely adores me...because she expresses her love by never leaving my side, following me everywhere I go, and throwing a fit if we are not physically touching each other at all times.

LOVE: She is becoming more verbal by the day, and she can actually verbalize to me what she wants or needs instead of grunting and whining all the time. 

HATE: Her "needs" consist of snacks, fruit snacks, and more snacks. If she's not eating, she's asking for food. ALL. DAY. LONG.

LOVE: She wants to use utensils.

HATE: She wants to use utensils.

LOVE: She is beginning to understand the concept of sharing.

HATE: She thinks sharing is a one-way street...as in, everyone has to share with her, and she has to share with NO ONE.

LOVE: She can eat the same meals that we eat...no more "baby" foods for her!

HATE: She typically chooses not to...and 10 minutes later is back to asking for snacks. Sigh.

LOVE: She is really beginning to enjoy "girly" stuff like dress-up and baby dolls. 

HATE: We don't own any girly stuff, and Daddy can't understand the need for buying clothes that aren't for wearing in public.

LOVE: Her spirit...happy Kate is HAPPY Kate.

HATE: Mad Kate is MAAAAAAAAADDDD Kate.

LOVE: Her adoration for her brother...she wants to know where he is at all times.

HATE: The adoration is not typically reciprocated.  And sometimes ends in time-outs.

LOVE: She can ask me for help with something if she needs it.

HATE: Half the time I do what she asks, she ends up melting down anyway. (This morning, Carter gave her a go-gurt, so she brought it to me and said "open." I opened it, and she melted to the ground in a hysterical puddle. Cue confusion.)

LOVE: She can now truly enjoy outings to the park, play areas, etc.

HATE: I have to get her there...in the car...which means confinement. Oh, how we loathe confinement.

LOVE: She is very social, and she gets very excited to play with other kids.

HATE: She spends half of the time we are with friends begging for snacks, and the other half of the time chasing kids around begging them to "share."

LOVE: She loves the outdoors.
HATE: She loves the outdoors at 7am...in 35 degrees...in the rain...and Mama doesn't do cold. (Or mornings.)

It's tough being one sometimes...