Changes

In my career as a mother I have learned a lot. Lessons in patience, humility, honesty, stress. Lessons in time management and when to just let it go. It's a never ending lesson, and I am on a constant journey to keep learning. I truly believe that it will be a life long process and as a person and mother and wife I will continue to grow and get better as I strive to be better and more aware.
Some of the best words of wisdom I was given in the early weeks of Maizeys life were something along the lines of it will always change so don't worry or stress to much about whats happening right at this moment because it will be different as soon as you start to get comfortable.
The transition phases seem to be the hardest. When the what works stops working. When the happily kicking on the floor stops being enough and they want to sit up or crawl, but those skills haven't been mastered quite yet. From two naps to one to none. From nursing to sippy cup.
I write this now because over the last few months we have noticed a really big change in Maizey. Things that she use to do that I'm sure she only did to make me crazy, have subsided and been replaced with total awesomeness. I am really loving this stage she is at right now. I seriously never thought I would see the day that she would sit at the table and eat her dinner without being distracted by every little thing and therefore be trying to get up and down from the table and not eating and making a mess and it ending in someone crying and going to bed *not always the child in this case* . I thought she would be that kid that was in a high chair until she was 7. When we made the switch from the crib to bed it made bedtime a nightmare. It would take hours for her to go sleep, she'd make a huge mess in her room every night, she would come out and up the stairs repeatedly, she almost always fell asleep with the light on because she just couldn't leave it alone. I won't even get into nap time. It was enough to make me drink. For real. Recently though, something magical happened and while I am normally one to question why and how, this time I am just going to let the universe or whatever made this happen, do it's thing, because I am loving it. She can drink with no sippy cup lid, sit at the table and eat, she goes to bed and goes to sleep, she gets Jace things he needs like a clean diaper or his soother. She sits and plays quietly rather than just making a mess and demanding I play with her. There hasn't been a coloring on something she isn't supposed to incident in forever (I really hope I didn't just jinx us) but there are many pages in her coloring books nicely scribbled on! We went out for dinner tonight, the four of us, to a restaurant. A REAL restaurant (hello Emos!) and sat down and ordered and ate without any fighting and crying and messes and leaving with boxed up meals rather than enjoying a hot dinner. This hasn't happened in a really long time. Long before we became a four actually.
I am loving this newly transitioned phase where at the end of the day (usually) we are all happy. Shes back to napping every day and is much happier because of it. Which obviously means I get in my nap and am much happier because of it.