Month 22 letter*

Dearest Mad-delicious,

You are 22 months (*and one day) now. Mommy was a little absent minded yesterday and despite trying to remind myself in 3-4 places, I forgot to write yesterday. Oops. Life seems to be a constant balance of trying to remember to get everything done. More simply, I just try to remember what needs to be done, let alone find the time to do it.

Life with you is awesome. You are fun and funny and smart and so verbal and so observant. I love to just watch you take in a new piece of information, like what this new object is, and try to find where it fits in your existing knowledge matrix. The timer we got from the burger place was something new. You looked at the shape, a rectangle with a large round knob, and announced to us (quite proudly) CAM-RA! Well, Maddster, it definitely had the shape. You are also starting simple sentences and simple conversations. We can ask you questions and you answer. We can give you directions and you respond. We can also do something completely innocuous like put on your jacket and you LOSE YOUR MARBLES because it was not the thing you wanted to do. Terrible twos? They be starting. It's time for me to pick up a few child development books on what you are really capable of and what concepts you truly understand.

Maddy, you are bigger than the average 22-month old girl. And you are very verbal. And very engaging. And sometimes people forget how really young you are. And I want to be sure our expectations of you are reasonable. And that your behaviour is normal (like the random freak-outs and the refusal to eat dinner - no matter what I cook). But to have the honour to watch you grow and learn and explore... I know I was meant to be your mom.

Although now that you're here, and so fun to hang out with, HOW does a mother get it all done. And then add a second and still get it all done? I decided awhile ago that there were three top priorities in my life - 1) spend time with you and your dad. 2) Make sure you have healthy meals to eat (even if you refuse to eat them). 3) That once a week I  need to get out. Away from being mom and wife and chef and cleaner and accountant and organizer. That I can just be Wendy the friend and have no responsibilities. But after those three, there is an endless list. Cleaning and organizing and groceries and errands and bills and Christmas and decorating the house and my silly computer games and plan for the future... It's a game of whack-a-mole trying to get the rest dealt with. And I sometimes get it done. More often, I miss a mole or two. But I just want you to remember that spending time with you is always #1 on my list of things to do. Always.

This letter feels like I was phoning it in just a little, but the day is marching on and there is LOADS to do today. Too much to do... But most importantly, it's time to hop on the other couch with my girl and my best friend and mooch dad's smoothie. And laugh in amazement how you, my girl, are so much like you father in appearance.

Happy 22 month-day my girl!

Love you always,

Mommy