A Transition to Toddlerhood

Happy first birthday, baby girl!

It’s hard to believe it’s been a full year since the birth of our last baby. It truly adds a new depth to the bittersweet quotes about parenthood.

The days are long but the years are short.

Most days feel like the movie Groundhog Day.

I get up, take my boys to school, and drop my husband off at work. I feed and play with the baby, we take a nap, then suddenly it’s time to pick everyone up.

Yet, somehow I’ve blinked and my oldest is seven and losing his baby teeth.

The boy we thought was our last baby is turning six in a few days.

My actual last baby is one. No longer a baby and officially a toddler.

Time is a thief.

Our Story

I met my husband in 2014 while working in a package handling warehouse.

He was my direct supervisor and we were both in long-term relationships. I was living with my boyfriend at the time. The connection was instantaneous and we fought hard against it.

We started off as friends, bonding over similar music tastes, the struggles of college, and the big dreams we had for ourselves.

But the chemistry became undeniable.

He’ll tell you it was the allure of his leather jacket making him “ruggedly handsome.” I won’t disagree.

In January 2015, he ended his relationship. In March, I ended mine. In April, it was us against the world.

We immediately moved in together, ready to face whatever else came our way.

We didn’t expect how quickly I would get pregnant or the struggles that would bring. In February 2016, we welcome our baby boy, L.

Then came the post partum depression.

I was a nightmare to be around, but he handled it, giving me all the love and support I needed.

“One and done,” I said.

The joke was on me because I was already pregnant again.

We got married in February 2017 and welcomed our second boy, K, in March. I was 8 months pregnant when we met with the Justice of the Peace and looked like a circus tent in my dress.

Seriously.

I told you.

There were talks about maybe trying for a girl one day in the distant future, but, for now, our family felt complete.

We went through so many ups and downs through the years, including a year long separation.

Then the time felt right for one more.

Welcoming Our Daughter

We tried for 10 months to get pregnant. I tracked ovulation, used so many tracking apps, and took monthly pregnancy tests only to be disappointed again and again.

My heart goes out to anyone struggling to get pregnant or with infertility. Our wait was short compared to so many others.

One day, I swore I saw the faintest line, but I couldn’t be sure.

I took a test the next day and it was positive. We were overjoyed!

While we hoped for a girl (a calm one to counteract our wild boys), we just wanted a healthy baby.

We welcomed the most perfect baby girl I’ve ever laid eyes on in March 2022.

Now we had to name her.

We couldn’t agree on anything my entire pregnancy and she was nearly a full day old before we made a decision.

I don’t put my children’s names here on Medium, but I’ll give you a hint: her nickname is mentioned in the movie Encanto.

And now somehow it’s been a full year.

A full year of sleepless nights, diaper changes, and too many bodily fluids.

A full year of snuggles, laughs, and big slobbery kisses.

Welcome to toddlerhood, sweet girl.

McCaylee Putney has a BA in English and Creative Writing from SNHU. She is working on her MFA in Creative Writing while juggling all the other facets of her life. Follow her here or on Twitter at @mputneywrites to see more of her journey.