Motherhood is: Everything. Every conceivable emotion under the sun. I dare you to find an adjective that cannot be plugged in to the above description that wouldn't fit (except maybe carefree). Motherhood is:Amazing. Motherhood is: Exhausting. Motherhood is: Rich. Motherhood is: Adventurous. And the list goes on. It's the highs and lows and the in between monotonies. It's all the cliche sayings that you have to experience for yourself for them to make sense.
Yesterday was one of those days, though. You know, one of the whirlwind days where I could tell you I was busy but couldn't tell you with what. Which is why I decided to write it down. And send it to my husband.
I'm adjusting to being on summer break with my baby after having been back to work since February. It's been awesome so far, and I know my husband loves having me home taking care of Viv. I love it too! And yesterday was full of juicy motherhood, non-stop action, a little bit of mess, a little bit of chaos, a lot of bit of love. And I wanted to record every last detail. Here is my account of yesterday morning, courtesy of the extra long nap that occurred afterward:
Today is one of those days...
You would never have known I steam mopped the kitchen floor yesterday.
Baby got up at 5:30, so by the time we were driving home from the public market at 8:15, she was ready for a nap in her car seat. The transfer of sleeping baby into house: successful! But, crap, what kind of nap will this turn into? A dozer that we can shake off, a half nap that disrupts our normal schedule or a full nap in the car seat that immobilizes me from moving even one tiptoeing step around these creaky hardwood floors, let alone getting anything productive done? It was a 45-minute-immobilizing-schedule-ruiner. We're up at 9:00 and we play. And mom eats four Oreos and even lets baby try a bite. Who am I? Is this all it takes to break me?
10:00 we walk to the park. Strange to see so many heads off in the distance. There better not be another baby in the one infant swing there. Phew, just summer school kids.... everywhere. 10:15, we're over the swings, but even more over the stroller. Resourceful mommy scours purse to find packs of kleenex and gum to distract baby enough to get her strapped in and down the street. Until all the kleenex are pulled out. And the plastic gum insert has fallen to the foot rest. And the cardboard packaging has been bitten and chewed. Oh well, better than having to have carried her while pushing the stroller.
Home we go for a 10:30 lunch. That's normal, right? I'm looking forward to having my mom come over for some help, some more interaction for me and Viv and maybe a chance to bake something for me and the hubs. But most exciting, we get to scope out the new Costco in town, woohoo!
I start Viv off with a nectarine in her high chair. I say a prayer of thanks that there is one ripe one in the bunch already, since I just purchased them yesterday. Thank you, God! I needed that small, squishy victory. Nectarine is cut and on tray and baby is happy. I'll cut up some olives while I get water boiling for pasta to keep her going. We're still content with the nectarines, but olives are on the floor. Three more minutes pass and she is clearly communicating that she no longer wants to be in her high chair. I try distraction and an attempt to inspire mimicry in the form of having her feed me her three pieces of nectarine left. It works! But all distractions are passing, mere seconds. She wants out well before the pasta is done.
Pasta is now done. If she doesn't want it, at least I'll try to get some lunch in my growling tummy (is tummy now the standard in my vocabulary instead of stomach? I certainly typed it first). I pick her up to "help" me, because she normally likes to see things from my view. Not this time. She complains and so I put her down and let her resume dismantling the recyclables piled up in the corner. I take the pot off the stove and reach down for strainer with my other hand. Then spill some boiling hot water on the floor. Then throw a towel down on the floor so baby doesn't touch boiling hot water. Pasta is now safe in strainer in sink. Now I look for dairy free, nut free pasta sauce in fridge. Check. Does it have mold? Nope! Mommy (third person must also now be my standard) is eating lunch on the floor so she can be close to baby. I fork-feed her spiral noodles, one at a time, yet she still manages to get sauce all over her face and hands. She is happy and so am I. Her hand is on my shoulder as she goes from standing to sitting and back up again between bites. We are having our very own lunch date on my sterilized, food-speckled kitchen floor. That towel near the stove that I used to dry up the spilled water is now wiping up the red finger strokes left by my playful baby.
Lunch is done and we are both wiped clean, minus the nectarine stain on my shirt that surprisingly I did to myself. I check to see if her diaper needs cleaning as well. I pick her up and sniff her bum and she starts giggling. Such ordinariness, but oh the joy. Of course, I repeat over and over, as long as the laughter is produced because that sound is the sweetest song.
It's now 11:15. Mom should be calling soon about coming over to go to Costco, but my instincts are telling me it's nap time. Like real nap time, not car seat snoozing. Dilemma. Wait, there's no dilemma. Nap time always wins. It certainly did today. Costco ain't going nowhere.
