The second year of motherhood

I looked back at the post I wrote when J turned one.
And I know I'll wonder what the second year of motherhood was like when I hit the third. So here's it is. You're welcomed, future self.

J has grown from the scrawny baby to a strong little girl to an even stronger little-big girl. I don't know where she gets her strength from, but she's definitely not a toddler to mess with. I just watched Frozen that day (finally!) and as much as I try not to princess-ify things, J does resemble Anna. Strong, fearless, optimistic, and quite caring.
And feisty.
Definitely not the girly-girl I thought she would turn out to be.

And she has grown so tall, and so big. I think my mum really fed her well. Her height is off the charts now and I'm glad. I remember I used to fret about her food intake and feel like a lousy mom about not feeding her well.

*****

These are what I talked about after I survived the first year of motherhood. Let's see if things have changed.

Sleep. What sleep?
Well, there is light at the end of the tunnel - we do get sleep after all!
Eventually.

J has been sleeping through the night, thankfully. Other than a few random occasions where she wakes up and asks for milk, I've managed to get my seven-hours-undisturbed sleep. Well, most of the time.
Sometimes I wonder if she did actually wake up but I was too tired to notice. It could have happened.

My baby is not eating. Much.

Ah. This.
Now my baby eats too much.
That's quite a happy thing though.
(Okay. My back and arms protested but hey, we've come a long way!)

My baby doesn't really sleep a lot.

This hasn't changed. J still doesn't sleep a lot. 
She naps only once a day. Sometimes only for an hour. 
Every time I look at those infographics and charts on a child's sleep, J will be at least two hours short of the recommended hours. 
I gave up feeling bad about it. If she's happy everyday, she should be getting enough sleep. Maybe she just doesn't sleep so much. I also found out that I'm not alone so all's good.

I have to take baby out? How?

Going out is getting even easier now. Less logistics, less things to carry around. Being able to eat adult food eases the load I have to carry too. J now asks to go to the toilet when we are out so I bring only one piece of spare diaper. (My other problem would be that she asks to go to the toilet too much. Half the time to go wash her hands and play with water.)

But going out with her alone is getting increasingly challenging. It's tough without her stroller especially when she decides to sleep. I tried once and ended up with a really painful back. With the stroller, I'll have to choose between them both. I'm still trying though.


I ended with this:

"I'm now bracing myself for the terrible twos.

Bring it on!"

Now that we are at that stage, whoa. Some days are good, and some drives me nuts.
It turns out that the terrible twos are not just about meltdowns.
It's about testing boundaries and pushing limits.
It's about dealing with what looks like defiance, but is actually the testing of boundaries in disguise.
It's about maintaining sanity (for the parent).
Ho-ho!!! Not easy!
Most days I try to keep calm and parent on, but some days, especially on the days I'm really tired, I become the crazy-yelling-jumping-around-while-flailing-arms-at-the-same-time-momma.

*Breathe*

I don't even have questions for myself now because everyday is essentially the same.
Testing of boundaries.
Trying to maintain sanity.

BUT...

Oh, so much joy.
(Yes, that is true. Even though temper tantrums and meltdowns are more frequent now.)