Have you ever found yourself eagerly awaiting the day that your baby takes their first steps, and then as soon as they do you wish they would go back to being a baby again?
They suddenly go from tiny little things to children full of energy, bounding around the place like a new puppy (or a drunk adult).
Over the past couple of months, Tabby and Wilf have gone from babies crawling around the place, to full blown toddlers rampaging through the house.
Tabby was 12 months old when she took her first steps back in January, so now she’s a pro at zooming around the place.
Wilf was a little after 13 months, but he’s quickly mastered using his new moving feeties and marches around like a little toy soldier.
In ways things are a lot easier now that they are both walking. I don’t have to carry them around so much for a start. All three of them just come running in a line when I call them, like a flock of little ducklings.
It’s also a lot easier to go out into the garden now, as they don’t get as wet when they’re on their feet, and they can play a lot easier.
The trouble now though, is things have become that extra bit dangerous. Gone are the days of them climbing onto the sofa and me worrying they may topple off. Now they climb onto the sofa, stand up, and run across it like they’re on some sort of inflatable obstacle course.
They can also climb the slide and stand at the top, climb on beds and stand, and climb on top of toy boxes. You get the jist.
We’ve spent a lot of time out in our garden recently. So much so that they are used to being “free range” now, and my days of taking them out in the pushchair, and them staying in the pushchair, are limited.
The past few walks that we have been on, Wilf has screamed to get out. He wants to explore the park and run wild like his older sister, and I don’t blame him. Who wants to live a life in a pushchair when you’ve felt the grass beneath your feet (albeit plastic grass). But I’m a bit nervous.
I braved taking them all out in the newborn days, worrying what would happen if one of the twins needed feeding and Immy ran off. And I survived.
I braved taking them out in the crawling stage in the rain, hoping they would sleep and not sit and cry because they were tired. And I survived.
So what’s different now?
I always said to myself, the worst that can happen is that I pick Immy up, push them back to the car, and go home.
I guess my next challenge is upon me. Taking them all out alone and letting the twins loose. The mere thought of it makes me want to curl up and hide. Immy is pretty good at road safety and listening, but at the end of the day she’s only 2 and is a free spirit, and at times just goes into her own little world and doesn’t listen or just refuses to leave somewhere.
I’m imagining three children running off in different directions, and me just panicking or standing there defeated. I mean, mums who have been in the same situation, what do you do?
I’m getting some reigns for them. Whether you like them or not, I think they are definitely needed to try and keep them safe in my case. I can only imagine what Tabby is going to think of them though. I imagine she will scream and go limp, and I’ll look like one of those dog owners pulling their dog along who is refusing to move.
We went out yesterday as a family and let them loose for a bit, and they were fine. Only a few tumbles (that’s mud on Tabby’s face in the cover photo). However, it took two of us to keep them under control, and we had the added help of friends too.
I know this time will pass, and in time I’ll have three children who listen and remain safe, but let’s be honest, that’s a long way off.
I’ll be dammed though if I’m going to stay at home in fear of what could happen when we’ve just spent a year being unable to get out.
So I’m getting out there, I’m going to let my rabble loose in an open, preferably gated area. I’ll probably regret it and I will most definitely need a glass of wine that evening. But I don’t want to have 2 screaming toddlers in a pushchair on our daily adventures either, so it’s going to have to happen whether I like it or not.
Wish me luck!