It is official.  I have a toddler.  No longer do I just have an adventurous baby with an independent spirit, but I have a full blown walking toddler!  And he is definitely a character in his own right.  Everytime we walk into church, people know who Sam is and see him coming!!  When he registers for creche, they don't even need to ask if he wants juice and a biscuit as they know he will be the first one sitting waiting when the picnic cloth comes out.  

I am starting to feel like I have left the club of "new mother" and have joined the elite ranks of "toddler tamer"!  I am sad to have left behind that stage where you do have to keep close to other new mum's for encouragement, as it feels like you are a bit more on your own in taming your toddler.  Each child is now completely different and developing their own character so all the helpful tips that were invaluable as a new mum are now not as helpful across the board.

But I am loving this new stage and searching for new ways to connect with other mum's, to teach and encourage my child and to just enjoy everyday before he grows up!  Along the way though Sam has started to open up my eyes to a fresh understanding of certain things, so here is a brief list of things I have learnt from my toddler!

-church is all about being an encouragement to others.  Yes the worship is great and the sermon is great, but its the people that make it work and why we are there, to connect as a body and encourage each other to keep going.  So when Sam wants to run around like a crazy child during worship, I am not too worried about it ruining the music, but actually more excited that it might encourage other parents not to be so worried about their kids and to just enjoy being together. (I do stop him when he tries to get on stage with the worship band though....)

-its an amazing and interesting world out there.  Having a child definitely gives you the chance to see things through their fresh eyes.  I love Sam's laugh when he discovers he can do something new, the excitement of watching bubbles or of just being able to walk over and explore something on his own (even if it is a slug, ewww!)

-God wants to hold us so close and never let go.  There are times when I want to hug Sam so tight and never let go, to just enjoy being close to him.  Then he of course wants to wiggle off me to go and play with a tractor or piece of fluff, but it reminds me of how close God wants to be to us all the time.  If he could, he would just hold us forever and enjoy being with us, but normally it is us who wiggle away to go and do something busy in the world, and then we only come back when we get bored,hurt ourselves or decide we are hungry.


So for those of you who have tiny babies - you have some fun times to come!  Enjoy the closeness of your child and the closeness of other mum's as you band together.  For those of you who has made it through the toddler period - please do offer me some tips as I know it is going to be a crazy road ahead!!