I’m not a baby lady.

Nope. 2+ is my jam. They can walk, talk & mostly feed themselves. They sleep late. They can be potty trained.

They light up when they learn something new. They are filled with the desire to please. They love BIG. They know few boundaries. They say hi to strangers and then proceed to tell them all about their favorite toy truck. They give out hugs like it’s their job.

2+ is FUN. It’s weird. It’s chaos. There are tantrums and some long nights. There are many (oh. so. many.) tears as they try to navigate this complicated thing called life that the rest of us have a major head start on.

Don’t get me wrong, babies are a slice of Heaven and magic in the purest form. They bring snuggles and so much love. I enjoy that first milestone filled year, too.

But toddlers are something else. I think I was made for it.

I like dance parties and eating cupcakes just because. I like saying YES to random requests, even though I often feel like all I say is no. I like living a few hours each day with no limits, because let’s be honest, toddlers don’t have any.

My son has started calling me Mom lately. I’m not ready for it. My baby, my boy, the little dude that turned my world upside down - I’m not Mama to him anymore. I’m Mom. It makes me sad.

But, it also fills me with hope.

Hope that I’ll love each stage of his little life more than the last. Hope for my family. Hope for the future.

Hope is a wonderful thing and toddlers are full of it.

Maybe that’s why I love this stage so much.

This originally appeared on Facebook.