Help! Someone stole my babies!!

Last week I had a little toddler girl and a little baby boy. This week I have a big, independent, 3 1/2 year old girl and a big, 5 toothed, 14 month old boy. I'll tell you the one major flaw in the design plan of children--they keep getting BIGGER. Next thing I know they'll be asking for the keys to the car (or worse...their own car) and they'll be too embarrassed to go anywhere with me. *Not that I ever did either of those with my own parents.*

Today we went sledding. The whole way there the 'three year old formerly known as baby Alexis' kept saying, "I'm going to go down the snow hill all by myself". I thought "sure TYOFKABA, you'll take one look at it and be too scared to try it", because, I swear, that's what she would have done LAST WEEK. But what I didn't realize was that TYOFKABA no longer lives with us, she's been taken over by Big Girl Alexis, complete with underpants and everything. By the time I reached the hill, she had already gone down BY HERSELF once, and did it several more times while I was there. You could have knocked me over with a snowball! Isn't someone supposed to check with me before they grow up? I don't recall anyone asking if it was okay that they get bigger and less attached to their mom. Because I would have said "NO". Well, technically I would have said, "they may mature in the sense that they'll feed themselves, wipe themselves, dress themselves, and entertain themselves, but no, they may not grow in size and they may not EVER outgrow their mama". But no one asked, and now I have to deal with the consequences of them growing up.

And today Tyler showed up with another tooth, WITHOUT EVEN TELLING ME! He should have gotten out of bed this morning and said, "hey mom, i think I'll get another tooth now, is that alright?" Instead he decided to show the whole world while smiling, without telling his mother first.

Thankfully there are still some things they do to remind me they are still young and still occasionally need me. Some of them are nice, some not so nice.

1. Alexis still uses a pacifier at night (please don't judge me!)
2. Tyler hated sledding and screamed for an hour straight and let me hold his hand in the car on the way home.
3. Alexis could not climb the hill to go down on the sled, so I carried her up it several times.
4. Tyler is a great snuggler when he first wakes up.
5. Alexis is afraid of large scary things and runs to me to protect her (though she made the decision last night that she's no longer afraid of Santa. A few days too late.)
6. Neither of them really eat by themselves, so I/we still have to feed them for the majority of their meals.
7. Alexis will still hold my hand while we cross the street...YES!
8. Alexis thinks I'm capable of building a snow hill big enough for her to sled down.

I think the worst part about them growing up is that if I want a baby again I have to actually HAVE another baby. Pregnancy aches and pains, and that awful newborn stage...there has got to be a better way!

Pictures of those "awful newborns".

My New Years Resolution: Thwart all growing-up efforts made by my children.