I love being a Mom. Sometimes the job is refreshing and inspiring while other times the job is cruel and amusing. I use this blog as a journal and I intend to peruse it when I have an empty nest one day. I also hope that my children enjoy it one day.
With that said, I’ve started the tag “Adventures of Motherhood” because some days are just too significant, for different reasons, and I’d like to capture them in this snapshot format so that I’ll never forget their worth.
This particular snapshot is an example of a rather nerve-racking day. I’ll be sure to also share the sweet and inspiring stories as they occur.
Here’s a glimpse into my world, for those who care.
July 13, 2009
Today’s date should have been my first clue. I should have hid under the covers of my bed all day. Alas, motherhood was calling!
The day was immediately off to a productive start when I heard Lincoln complaining over the baby monitor at an earlier than usual time. I hop out of bed to discover him grumbling in his crib and saturated in his urine. The sheets are soaked as well. His diaper overflowed. I strip the soaked clothes off of him, strip the soaked sheets off the mattress and start a load of laundry. Phew. Lincoln is content sitting stark naked on the carpet in his bedroom so I run and fill up the bathtub for his much-needed bath. I run back into his room to collect him for his bath and I find him nonchalantly sitting in a puddle of urine. Seriously? Argh. I grab the carpet cleaner and work on the puddle. I worry that the bath water is getting cold so we head that way next. It’s a quick bath since he’s now hungry. I realize that it’s late and Ava isn’t stirring yet…if she doesn’t get up now then she won’t be tired enough to nap later in the day which means she’ll be extra grumpy at night. I gather Lincoln up in my arms and we merrily make our way into Ava’s room singing our “Good Morning” song. She isn’t the least bit amused; it’s one of “those” mornings for her.
Once downstairs I begin making Linc’s bottle and Ava complains because she wants me to make her chocolate milk first. Deep breathing. Counting to ten. In due time Ava has her milk and I’m feeding Linc his bottle. It’s quiet. I’m thankful. Linc is in a better mood. Ava is coming around. I’m starving. I nourish myself and catch up on some emails at the same time. Everyone is happy again. Today Honey is picking up Samantha and Tyler and bringing them back to Williamsburg for the week. Ava is bursting with excitement and can’t wait to see her cousin.
We spend the entire day at Honey & Papa’s house and the kids play and entertain each other. I spend the day changing diapers, making bottles, washing bottles, cleaning faces, wiping bottoms, teaching the art of sharing, reading books, doing dishes, folding laundry, and wiping yogurt and trampled green beans off the floor. It’s all in a day’s work! The day is wrapping up and Linc is preparing to fall asleep in Papa’s arms so I quickly tidy up the house and corral my kids into the van. Linc is fast asleep before we’re out of the neighborhood.
On the way home I remember that our street in the neighborhood was due to be paved this morning. The association warned us that they were going to close our street and we’d have to find parking elsewhere in the neighborhood. Chris has class tonight. I begin to ponder how I’m going to manage this with both kids and a van full of supplies. Eureka! I have the double stroller in the van! Disaster diverted. I think to myself that it shouldn’t be too hard to transfer sleepy Linc from car seat to stroller and eventually to crib. I look in the rear view mirror to explain to Ava that we’re going to park somewhere else and walk home only to discover that she’s passed out. She’s really passed out. Oh boy, this adds a new element of difficult to an already complex situation. Ava doesn’t wake easily or happily. Well, she’s just going to have to wake up and we’re just going to muddle through it. Thankfully, I find a parking spot one street over from ours and I hurry to get the stroller set up and loaded up. I unbuckle Ava from her car seat and try my best to wake her up. No chance. I think, maybe if I stand her up but her knees buckle and she’s content to sleep in the grass. It’s starting to drizzle. Haha, of course it’s going to rain, it makes perfect sense. I’m slightly panic-stricken now. I conclude that Ava is going to have to ride in the stroller and I’ll just carry Linc. My back is going to love this.
Now it gets comical…
I put Ava in the stroller and I quickly realize that she’s entirely too big. Her legs are sticking straight out. I laugh to myself because it’s really quite funny. I run to grab Linc and notice that I have the Bjorn in the back seat of the car. Score! I strap him into the Bjorn and we’re ready to rock n’ roll. We get to our street and we have to walk in the gutter so we don’t step on the wet and awfully stinky pavement. The gutter is exactly the same width as the stroller. Talk about walking a fine line! I’m sweating at this point and the drizzle of rain feels refreshing albeit annoying. The headache that I acquired earlier in the day is resurfacing with a vengeance. I deem that this whole situation is ridiculous. Oops! We just came upon a drainage ditch and the front wheels of the stroller went every which way and caused us to stop on a dime. We had good momentum and therefore Ava’s lower body was flung from the stroller by slipping under the tray and nearly beheading the poor sleepyhead. Would you believe that she’s barely awake at this point?! I try to instruct her subconscious to “move your butt back in the seat.” She whimpers, “Help!” I run to the front of the stroller to push her back into her seat except that I never put the brakes on the stroller so as I’m pushing her back into her seat I’m also pushing the entire stroller away and in the direction of the wet pavement. Seeing as how Linc is strapped to my chest in the Bjorn, and I’m bent over in an awkward position trying to help Ava, Linc wakes up whimpering in discomfort. Now I’m getting frustrated. I put the brakes on the stroller and resolve the situation. We’re back in motion and I have to carefully navigate over the next six drainage ditches. Both kids are awake now and my head is pounding. Ava is confused and is demanding to know what is going on and wants to know “Why is it so stinky?”
Our driveway is in sight! Sweet, sweet, beautiful driveway, how I love thee. I anxiously pick up the pace with my eyes locked on the sweet, sweet target. I get everyone inside the house and I gulp a glass of cool and refreshing water. I take a deep breath and turn around to discover both kids staring at me like zombies. I wonder whom should I put to bed first? I’d like to crawl into bed myself but that isn’t a viable option. Ava irritably insists that I take care of her first and I think that’s a good idea given her mood. Linc is happy to tag along in his zombie-like state anyway.
With a little struggle I get Ava to bed and I’m excited because I’m that much closer to medicating my head and going to bed myself. I do a little happy dance. It takes a while for Linc to finally surrender to sleep. After he does surrender, I grab the bottle of Tylenol and start to make my way downstairs to fetch another glass of cool and refreshing water when I suddenly hear the sound of an approaching helicopter. I stop to listen. It’s getting closer and much louder. Now it’s literally hovering directly above our street and it’s painfully loud. Ava is screaming for me and Linc starts to complain. The helicopter comes and goes several times in the matter of a minute. I drop the bottle of Tylenol and run to comfort Ava. She’s in a tizzy. I get her settled and now Linc is angry. I make my way to his room and cuddle his sweaty and worked up self. I can still hear Ava calling for me. I’m plain stressed at this point. After getting Linc back to sleep I make my way to Ava’s room. “Something is bothering me,” she pleads. Ugh. This is a stall tactic that she used to regularly use some months ago. I truly don’t have the stamina to handle this right now. I can hear my head pounding in my ears. I do the best I can do which isn’t good enough for her right now; I explain that my head hurts and after I take some medicine I’ll check on her again. This seems to suffice.
I run downstairs to finally take some Tylenol and remedy my poor noggin. It’s quiet downstairs but there’s still tension in the air. I sit in the recliner for a minute and I’m overcome with nausea. I try to breathe through it but decide that I better sit in the bathroom to be safe; I could stand to empty my bladder anyway. I grab the phone on my way because I notice that it’s 9:54 p.m. and Chris will be calling any minute and I’ll be damned if the phone is going to rip my zombies out of their not so peaceful slumber. Sure enough, the phone rings as soon as I get to the bathroom. I can’t get a break. I answer, “Let me call you right back” and I hang up. I stare at the bathroom floor and listen to silence. I remember Linc’s sheets in the washing machine and realize that I need to transfer them to the dryer before I go to bed. My body is telling me that it needs fruit so I peel myself up and visit the kitchen for some grapes. I resort to the trusty recliner again and nibble on my grapes. I’m starting to feel well again. I pick up the phone and dial Chris. “Hey! How was your day today?” he cheerfully asks…
