Has it really been so long?

This Friday, my baby will be 18 months old. She's healthy, sleeps mostly through the night, and gets into everything! My oldest son, who will turn 14 years old next month, says she is such a trouble maker now because she will be a goodie-goodie later... we can only hope. :)

She has us all wrapped around her pinky, even her big brothers. At first, her older brother thought she would be just the same as any other baby he's seen. He has since realized that her personality is one-of-a-kind. He is crazy about her! He will go out of his way to be goofy, or do anything to get her to laugh. She has such a great laugh.

All the smiles make up for the trouble she gets herself into when asserting her independence. She has learned so well (like her brothers before her) how to climb up on things she shouldn't. She climbs up on the dining chairs, but refuses to climb from the front - always from the side... today she found the consequence of that when she found out she was just heavy enough to make it tip over on top of her. Poor thing. :(

She has also learned how to climb over the baby gate, just like a fence. I can't believe she would put her little toes into those small holes and dig in, but she does. None of the other children I've watched have even tried to climb that high; but she does. Emma will climb up high enough that she can fall onto the other side, but doesn't go over - she just yells out to anyone who will come and rescue her and act like it was our fault for letting her climb up on the gate! I'm going to have to get one of those baby gates with the plexi-glass sides so there is nothing to grip her little toes on.

Then there's the table, both under it and over it. Emma likes to hide under the table, but is always trying to stand up straight when she's underneath. Then screams when she hits her head on the wood, or the holts underneath that hold the extension leaf together. I'm always reminding her to stay out of there, but curious minds will explore... and yesterday she decided to climb all the way on top of the table and sit right on the edge with that proud smile of hers. She sure knows how to get my heart racing!

Having three beautiful children is full of both blessings and sacrifices, as any parent can tell you. There are days when my life is so fulfilling that I'm 100% content to have my complete identity be "mom". When watching all the little things my children do is worth giving up (or putting aside) all my hobbies, accomplishments, or things I would still like to accomplish for myself... like my photography, scrapbooking, volunteering, or just sleep. Even those little things like household chores get put aside if I'm needed, then keep piling up. I was so blessed this weekend when my old college friend came by for a visit - she stayed the whole weekend and helped me sort through the children's outgrown clothes to give away. It feels so nice to get things done, especially after feeling like I've been drowning in housework. Not that I'm complaining, it's such a funny way that things have gotten undone. My little Emma likes to help with all the chores. When I'm unloading the dishwasher, she likes to help by passing me dishes. Of course, when I'm loading the dishwasher, she still likes to unload and pass me dishes... same thing for the laundry. She follows me around and likes to unload all the clean, folded laundry out of the laundry hamper before I get a chance to put away the clothes. She has so much fun with that, you should see how she giggles when I say, "No Emma!" and then she tosses the clothes out of the basket.

But there are times when I feel so tired, and really miss doing something for myself. I haven't finished (or started) a knitting project for so long... but I'm determined to get back some of

'me'. I was inspired by my sister, who is mother to my adorable nephew! She gets up every morning before he is awake to do some Wii Fit exercises. Since it feels like I don't have a waking moment to myself, I decided to do the same thing by claiming some time before anyone else is awake in the morning. I bought a new Nintendo Wii system off Ebay (great deal, I was happy to save some money) and a fitness program for it called Jenny McCarthy's Your Shape. I think the term "Wii Workout" would have been more catchy and fun, so that's what I call it at home. Well, it's been only one week since we've had it, and I feel great! I don't mean that I've lost any weight yet, but I feel like I have more energy, and I'm happier. It feels nice to do something for me again.

And tonight I'm going to a beginner Zumba class at the Community Centre... I keep hearing how fun these classes are, so I signed up for a summer session. I'm not going to put pressure on myself to do all the moves I know I can't do yet, but I will be going there to have a good time working out with other moms. As FlyLady says, "Progress, not perfection".