Block Towers

I woke to the sound of a little voice talking down the hall. I heard the blinds banging against the window. I heard book pages being turned. I heard her voice talking to herself. It would say things like “Oh No!” “Blankie, blankie, blankie.” And “where go, where Wally?” Isla was up a little earlier than usual. I rushed downstairs to start a load of laundry and take another one back up the stairs. I rushed to let the dog out, check something on the computer and put the dog food away before our day started. I opened the door to her room and was greeted by an “ooooo hi!” And a “Blankie, blaknie.” She always throws her beloved blankies over the side of the crib and why she does it is beyond me.

Isla has energy, and lots of it. She is on the go from the moment she wakes up until her head hits that mattress. I don’t feel like I get a moment to breathe until nap time.  Do other toddlers have this much energy? She doesn’t stop talking all day. She will talk while eating, playing, watching TV, in the car, at the store, she talks all day long. She is full of good stories and I wish I knew what they were all about. When she talks it makes my days brighter.

She will now ask to “eat” and she will now ask for “water, milk.” She will now ask to go outside, and to go in the “beep, beep” and she will now proudly tell Wally “No” when he barks. She thinks she has it all figured out. She is really becoming this little person who can run circles around me and by 4pm I’m exhausted.

I’m able to keep up around the house. The house is clean, the laundry is always done and dinner is ready by 5:30 most nights. I’m able to give Isla my undivided most of the time and when I can’t she’s under foot hugging my leg and saying “mama, mama.”

Last night we were tired after a big meal and just sat on the floor with Isla. She found a block in the kitchen and knowing it didn’t belong there she took it to the storage ottoman where it did belong. As she lifted the lid she pulled out her huge bag of Mega Blocks. She’s pulled them out before, dumped them and ran away but tonight was different. Tonight she played with them and built her first block tower.

 She played with those blocks for almost an hour until it was bedtime. This made my heart happy. This made the preschool teacher inside me do a happy dance. I loved seeing her so focused on something. I loved watching her imagination go wild. I loved watching her try to figure out why a certain block wouldn’t fit. The best part for me was when her top heavy tower would crash to the ground and she would say “OH NO!” and start again. Not an ounce of frustration on her face.

She may be exhausting but she’s so amazing and I can’t imagine life without her. She’s such a remarkable little thing and I am so blessed!