BLOG | Smeetchy turns two.

It’s hard to believe, hard to accept, hard to comprehend. Back in the summer I know I said that the last ten years have fairly raced by, and that is true, but it is nothing, nothing, compared to the speed at which life now moves, post-baby.

Her birth, of course, feels like a blur punctuated by extremely sharp moments of memory that feel like they happened yesterday. Literally yesterday. They are that clear, that immediate.

The first six months of her life are the same. There, but not there.

Our Toronto life has faded so completely.

We find we don’t miss it at all. That’s been a surprise, maybe the biggest surprise, since moving down here. It’s nice down here. Better. Busier. Who knew?

For what it’s worth, I don’t believe in the so-called “terrible twos”.

I think that kind of thing is bullshit. The idea that an entire year could go so badly, or could mark such a distinct change in personality makes no sense. And everyone I know who talks about this “terrible twos” phenomenon is a bullshit disciplinarian monster anyway. Like, if you really get chatting with them, what you find is that life got a little harder for them as a parent, but not because their two-year-old was so horrible. Rather, because their toddler started becoming an individual, a person, a human with a distinct personality of their own. The tiny baby they’d been treating like an appendage turned into something else, and instead of adapting and reasoning and being empathetic about the fact that life is terrifying for small children, they defaulted to this silly, ‘whelp, it’s the terrible twos’ mentality and decided it was time to enter into a power struggle to try to get the kid to keep doing what they wanted.

A power struggle. With a toddler.

Think about that for a minute. Then tell me if it sounds like a smart plan.

Look, I’m sure we’ll have our ups and downs. Toddlers are irrational and nonsensical, and ours is particularly willful and has literally never been tired, so I get that it won’t be a cake walk, but I’m excited for two.

Two year olds are sweet and adorable and so funny. Toddlers say such wonderful things. I kind of can’t wait to see what this one will come up with.

Anyway. Here’s a video of my wee Smeetchy, opening her presents and enjoying her very modest birthday celebrations last night.