2,8,2,6...

Audrey still can't count 1 to 10. However much we repeat it. It's always 2,8,2,6....it does make us chuckle. This was her in the playground earlier - she did recognise that they were numbers though which impressed me!

Had a tough day with her. I was low on energy and am not sure if it was more me than her. She certainly had a short fuse. Or was my tolerance lower? It felt like a slog at times. She is relentless and needs so much attention. But did we create this? I don't know anymore, I am so confused by it all. But it's no wonder sometimes that I can't face the thought of having another...even though everyone tells me your second is easier. That's fine I think, but I'd still have Audrey and she is showing no signs of getting any easier to deal with!

This morning my friend Lisa came over with her beautiful 10 week old baby Sienna and we met up with another baby mama in Chorlton. It was strange seeing that stage again. Things have moved on so much since then and Lisa quite intuitively asked which was harder - the baby stage or the toddler stage? I said both but that there's a lovely bit in the middle 6-18months and to make the most of it!

Audrey ran off and was out of my sight for no longer than 10 seconds in the restaurant we had lunch in. She'd found the indoor garden and was playing with the door. I knew the direction she'd gone in and knew it was a dead end. However, two old ladies called me over and told me off for letting her out of my sight as she could have trapped her fingers in the door. I felt like crying. I just wanted to say, "Do you know how fast toddlers are?", "Do you know how hard it is to keep an eye on them every second?" But instead I apologised and grabbed Audrey and shuffled off. More guilt, more judgements around motherhood. Am so not in the mood today :(