The Joy of Baking

Nora is a typical 2-year-old toddler. She is smart. She is hilarious. She amazes us with the things she is learning every day. She also has ‘tude for miles. And she wants to do whatever we’re doing. She wants to help. And heaven help us, she wants to do things BY HERSELF.

One morning a few weeks ago, I asked Nora (for the first time ever) if she wanted to help me bake some apple cookies bars. Girlfriend JUMPED at the chance, and soon I had an enthusiastic toddler balancing precariously on a kitchen chair next to me. I couldn’t walk more than a few inches away from her for fear she would fall, which made the whole process take about four times longer than usual.

BUT Nora had the time of her life. And so did I. It was one of those heart-warming, I-could-not-love-her-more type of moments. Doing something I’ve always loved (baking), and sharing that with my daughter? Completely priceless moments.

The very next week, we baked again. We were finishing up at the grocery store and I was buckling her into her car seat when I said, “When we get home, you can bake cookies with Mommy!” and she said, “YEAH!!” We drove home as usual, Michael and I talking or whatever in the front seat, Nora keeping herself busy in the back. When we got into the house, Michael and I set out to unload groceries. Nora, on the other hand, made a BEELINE for the kitchen table, and began pulling/pushing one of the chairs over to the counter.

I was absolutely amazed: 1) That she had retained the “We can bake cookies when we get home” message from 10 minutes earlier, and 2) That she remembered how the week before, she had stood on a kitchen chair to help me. I know that’s probably not an abnormal ability (the memory) at her age, but there are times when I am still amazed by it. This was one of those times.

And so we baked. This time? Pumpkin cookies.

And then we made pumpkin oatmeal cookies the week after that.

In the middle of all of this, I was on a mission to create a better way for her to help me. (More on that in tomorrow’s post.)

What are the hobbies that you share with your children? Things that you were “into” in the pre-baby days, that you’ve carried over into your parenthood role, and are now passing on to your kids? It’s my hope that someday, Nora will remember all of these hours that she spent with me in the kitchen, and that they’ll be as special to her as they are to me.