Why didn’t anyone tell me my baby girl is entering toddlerhood?

When exactly did this happen? Where was I? (In the kitchen doing the dishes, most likely.)

There wasn’t a certificate to mark the transition. Like: Congratulations, Harper Lane! You’ve successfully completed the Baby Course of Life. You are now a Toddler (watch out for those stairs and good luck navigating zippers).

And there definitely wasn’t a ceremony for me. I didn’t get to strut across a giant stage, all eyes on me, wearing a horrible gown and attempting to make that weird hat look cute.

I realize they’re called “toddlers” when they begin toddling around. But, here are some other signs that make it undeniable my baby girl is no longer a baby and we are in toddlerhood:

Suddenly, there are opinions. A lot of them. And if something doesn’t go exactly her way, we will hear about it.

She runs. Everywhere. Wasn’t it just yesterday that I was cheering her on and bribing her to learn how to walk?

She puts her hands on her hips.

She understands (surely way more than I realize) what we’re saying. And repeats it. In public.

She is obsessed with teenage girls.

She can grab things off counters. Things that were once safe have now been eaten, thrown, torn apart (and then eaten again).  

She can open drawers (see above for expected result).

She can open doors (which I recently discovered while going to the bathroom, thankyouverymuch).

She has an agenda. Not like “coffee date with Mia at noon” agenda, but more of the manipulation sort.  Throw in a couple of fake cries and a few dramatic coughs for good measure and she’s got us wrapped around her tiny digit.

She can say her name. Sure it sounds like “Hawpo” and always makes me think of Oprah, but still.

She’s a bookworm and has her favorites. She even likes to steal mine and “read” them. (This makes me happy to no end.)

She engages with Scout. And by “engages” I mean she hurls any object within her reach at him, and laughs maniacally when it just misses his bony little frame. (Scout’s not a big fan of the toddler stage, it seems.)

She spends endless time playing with my toiletries, heels, bracelets and cosmetics. (Now if I can just get her to stop eating my eyeliner by the time she graduates from Toddlerhood, that’d be helpful for all involved.)

She says calls us “mama” and “dada” and is hands down the best snuggler in the entire world.

She has a personality. She’s determined, silly, loving, compassionate and smart.

Although I wasn’t entirely prepared for this whole toddler thing, I sure am loving (almost) every minute of it. But, you can slow down now, baby girl…

And yes, despite stage or season, I will continue to call her baby girl for the rest of my days.

Find more bits about motherhood here!