It’s even more important to focus on what I’m grateful for when living with a toddler. When’s the last time you spent time with a toddler? They can be CRA-ZY. At this point, I assume the little birdie’s behavior will verge on the insane whenever we leave the house and enter the public domain. So I’m pleasantly surprised when she’s happy to go along with what we’re doing without flailing, screaming and being incredibly contrary. For at least part of the excursion… I know some of you child development experts out there are thinking, “no no no, you’re supposed to expect compliance and polite behavior, not expect the worst.” Hey, lady, this is survival. For me and for the little birdie, OK?! Confession: looking back on it, having a baby is a piece of cake compared to having a toddler. BUT. With the insanity of toddlerhood comes a lot more fun too. Exhausting mayhem, but fun.

Everything is new and exciting through the eyes of the little birdie and her language development is fascinating. These days, Wren adds about a word every day or so. For example, I asked Wren the other day if she could say, “Cassiopeia” because Chris drew a big W (for Wren) on the paper and I immediately thought of the constellation. The little birdie thought for a moment, looked at me, then said, “no.” Honestly, I’m not sure if she meant she couldn’t say it, or she didn’t want to say it. She seems to be partial to multi-syllable words like apple, bubble, yellow. I joked that it would be funny if Wren continued down the path of acquiring more almost useless words (like Cassiopeia) and ignoring useful phrases like “yes, please.” And I honestly don’t care if she doesn’t really know what, “I love you” means because she said it and that’s all my heart needed to clear a day’s worth of toddler negotiations. Maybe even the whole week. For this moment I am incredibly grateful.

What are you grateful for this week, dear readers?