Almost 2 years in...

I know we all say this about our lives all the time, but I can't believe how fast the time is going! Will is 2 in just over a month. So much is going on, with Will, but also with me and our family in general.

Will is absolutely in full on toddler mode now. He's not just walking but running. And not just that little cute half waddle run, actually running. For the most part, he's still very good. He will often run away from me at home, but if we are out, I can count on him to be pretty good. I bought one of those kiddy leashes, but we don't have to use it very often. He was on my lap in the supermarket last week and climbed off, went over to another families trolley, held on to that and turned around and grinned at me as if to say 'look mum, I've found a new family!' That's about as naughty as he gets.

He is very inquisitive and adventurous though. I have found I have to be very careful with what I give him access to. We have a fire screen and he knows 'hot', but he also managed to open the fire screen, and the fire door, to put on a piece of wood he very helpfully brought inside for me. I smelt smoke from the other end of the house. I've never moved so fast in my life!! So our fire screen now has an additional child lock on it...
He is also a monkey. If there is a ladder around, he WILL climb it! It doesn't matter if it's 5 meters high and only has one leg on the ground...

Our next challenge is going to be nappy training, which I want to tackle in the next few months. It's one of those things that everyone has an opinion on and everyone knows how to do, but no one wants to do it for me, strangely enough. So that's going to be fun. I'm currently reading Oh crap! Poppy Training by Jamie Glowacki. So I guess I'll finish that and do what I usually do- take what I want, throw out the rest!

Will is currently mad on books. He loves story time and will sit and read with Tim or I for as long as we will keep reading. We are still getting an afternoon nap from him (I'm so happy bout that) and we have a lovely story time routine before his nap. Even if he does have 3 favourite books I have to read 4 times a day. He's quite well read on books with strong female characters.

Will was a bit slow on his words, but over the past few weeks he's coming out with a new word almost every day. It's just clicked, obviously.

If you read my last post, you might be able to guess I wasn't in a great place last winter. I have found out I have depression and was in the middle of a bad bout/spell/whatever you want to call it. I've since found myself a good psychologist and worked out that winter is my 'danger' period, so we have been working to prepare me for this winter. I've joined a gym and am going boxing a couple of times a week, which I really enjoy. I've also quit Facebook, which I was spending hours on a day, which has helped immensely; I log on maybe every 2 months now.

I've also started uni. Just part time, so I only do 2 days a week. Will spends one day with each set of grandparents, which both Will and grandparents love. Those 2 days give me time to start learning who I am again. After 2 years at home, I had lost track of who I was. I felt bored all the time and even worse, I felt boring. I couldn't hold down a conversation about anything except m child. Which is fine if you're someone who want's to talk about my kid, but most people don't care beyond the 'how are they'. And to be honest, I want to talk about something other than him sometimes. I love him, but he's only 2. There is only so much to say about him. And I certainly used to be able to hold an interesting conversation before!

So I'm doing much better. I'm studying politics and gender studies which I'm loving, especially the gender studies. My brain is beginning to fell less like overcooked oatmeal. I overdo it sometimes and just crash, but I feel like I'm setting myself up to get through the cold dark months. 

We got a puppy towards the end of last year, a red kelpie called Pia. She drives me mad some days, but she and Will love each other. I often find them out on the lawn wrestling each other. I never know who has who pinned down.

Will and Pia

Will has continued to be a massive farm kid. He loves nothing more than going out on the motorbike to check the cows, or in the tractor to help Daddy. Agfest was his favourite thing ever- two days with Daddy looking at tractors and cows... Heaven!

Tim and I took Will and Tim's mum away for a long weekend to Victoria in March. We went over on the boat and took Will to the Melbourne zoo (he wanted to take a lemur home, as in a live one. He settled for a toy one) and a drive down the great ocean road. It was a great couple of days away. It was a bit more relaxed that our speedy road trip to Byron Bay last year to see my cousin get married, though that was good too, in it's own way.

The Big Merino at Goulburn

On the whole, Will is growing way too fast, but he's a great kid and we can't complain. I've missed writing though, so I will try to be a better person. Thanks for sticking with me!!