The last (and only) time I did a Hollings update was when she was 9 months old. She has doubled in age since then. I cannot believe how big I thought she was then. Now she’s a full blown little tiny human. I have enjoyed her so much it’s not even funny. 

When people ask me if it gets harder or easier the older she gets, I’m honestly not sure how to answer. I guess if I had to pick I’d have to go with easier. For one, I get to sleep at least 8 hours every night (she sleeps a full 12). Everything is easier when you are not sleep deprived (and I was DEFINITELY sleep deprived for the first 4 months of her life). Just being able to get the sleep that I need makes all the difference in the world. 

Sure, when babies are newborns they pretty much only sleep, eat, poop, and cry, so it’s not like you’re having to entertain them or chase them around the house, but there is SO MUCH up and down during those times. So many spit ups and diaper blowouts. So much dropping whatever you’re doing to go nurse. Plus your hormones are still running wild. I remember feeling down right dizzy all the time, because I was just on pins and needles waiting for something to go wrong. 

Even when she was a bit older and was on a schedule, there was still so much up and down. between 4-8 months, she was breastfeeding 4 times a day, napping 3 times a day (for only 45 mins to an hour each), and eating 3 solid meals plus 2 snacks a day. Add about 8 diaper changes on top of that, and you feel like you’re going from one thing to the next to the next with no time to even stop and sit down for 20 minutes, let alone spend an hour going to the grocery store. 

So let’s get back to today. Hollings is insanely cute. I’m not sure how she just keeps getting cuter, but she does. I’m no longer breastfeeding, which is bitter sweet. I miss it more than I thought I would, but at the same time, it’s nice to have my body back to being MY body again. Hollings will get a cup of milk in the morning, and sometimes depending on how our night goes, she’ll get one at night. She still eats 3 meals and 2 snacks a day, but 9/10 times, she just eats whatever I eat, so I no longer have to make something separate for her. She’s down to 1 nap a day, which some mothers hate, but I love. I love that I don’t feel stuck to the house until she wakes up from her morning nap (which ended between 10-10:30). I love that I can run all of my errands in the morning before getting home to feed her lunch and put her down. The one nap also lasts around 2 hours, which in my opinion is better than getting two different one hour naps. I feel like I can get more done in one long chunk than I can in two shorter chunks. 

She also requires way less stuff when we travel or even just leave the house. I probably don’t even need to carry a diaper bag anymore (except I do keep a lot of snacks and toys in there for when we’re at restaurants). It takes me less time to get ourselves together before we leave the house. It’s so nice after such a long period of feeling like I needed to do 8 billion things to get us ready to leave. 

Of course, in some ways, it’s harder. She’s a tiny, but opinionated, little person. If she doesn’t want to do something/eat something/hear something/etc, she’ll let you know, and it won’t be by saying, “Mama, I really don’t want to eat these carrots right now.” It’ll be by throwing a temper tantrum. She is running all over the place, which means I am constantly running all over the place to keep up with her. Putting her in her carseat or changing her diaper feels like dealing with an angry octopus sometimes.

All of that being said, it is so darn fun. Each day she is learning something new. She has a crazy amount of words in her vocabulary for someone her age, and it is so sweet when she is saying something and realizes we understand what she is trying to communicate to us. She loves to impress us. She learned how to get on and off of our bottom landing for our stairs and will spend 5 minutes showing us how she can do it just to get us to clap for her. Although she doesn’t give kisses quite as often she used to, when she does give you a kiss or a cuddle, it is the most amazing thing in the world. I keep hearing people saying their favorite ages with their kids were 2-4, but I honestly cannot imagine loving an age more than this one. Then again, I couldn’t imagine loving an age more than 6 months, 9 months, a year, etc., and it seems to always only get better. If anyone has figured out a way to slow down time, please let me know!!