Saturday, May 26, 2012

To The Military Moms...

For giving birth without your spouse by your side,
For picking up the family and moving from state to state and country to country just when you're starting to get settled,
For every bath time and bedtime you handle all alone,
For mowing the lawn, and paying the bills, and taking out the trash and doing the cooking and cleaning and laundry,
For every long day and lonely night,
For every time you help with homework and practice throwing a ball,
For every tear shed and each prayer said,
For every holiday and birthday missed,
For staying strong when overwhelmed with fear,
For all the night wakings and double ear infections and temper tantrums you have faced alone,
And for those who have ever had to bear the unthinkable burden of explaining to your children why Daddy isn't coming home,
We salute you. Today and always.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Just Wait...

Give it time...
It WILL get better.
These are all things we tell new moms or second (or third or fourth) timers when they have a newborn.
I remember feeling so defeated after having Mackenzie, hopelessly wondering when things would improve. When would she stop being so fussy? When would she be less of a pooping, sleeping blob and actually be fun? When would she start sleeping better? When would I feel some sort of connection with my new daughter?
I was told to just wait. Just wait until six weeks, eight weeks, three months, six months.
And then it all suddenly happened.
She started sleeping through the night. She could sit up on her own. She was developing a personality and becoming more of a little girl and less of a baby.
And then, suddenly, I missed her being a baby. I missed the sweet feeling of her falling asleep on my chest. I missed the little socks and the kitchen sink baths and the gassy smiles and the soft, quilted Pampers Swaddlers.
And you'd think I would have learned my lesson. Learned not to wish time away.
But I already find myself wondering when Braden, now eight weeks old, will be able to nurse less frequently and sleep for longer stretches. When will he be able to self soothe and fit into bigger clothes. I'm already sick of the infant carseat and drenched burp cloths and cluster feeding.
Really??? Now that I know how quickly the time goes I'm STILL looking forward to the next set of milestones?
Yes, really. Because I'm tired. And I look forward to the day when I can bathe two kids at once and they can be best buddies and play in the yard together. I know I'll be nostalgic for the new baby smell and the tender, curled up cuddles. But I won't miss having to pry Mackenzie off of Braden when he's doing tummy time. Or rushing through her bath because he's crying in his crib and I just don't have enough hands to make everyone happy all the time.
But this is one of the burdens of motherhood. We run ourselves into the ground taking care of our kids and there just aren't enough hours in the day. Not enough time for the laundry and the cooking and the cleaning. And most importantly not enough time to enjoy our kids as much as we want to. They simply grow up too fast. And we become so busy with the responsibilities that come with mothering that we often forget how fleeting time can be.
So moms, take a second to stop and embrace the moment. It will be gone in a flash.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Overheard In My House

* Don't put your hand down your diaper
* We don't eat our boogies
* What did we say about kicking the door?
* Chairs aren't for standing
* What is your problem!?!?!?!
* Stop touching your pee pee
* Just go to sleep!
* Leave your brother alone, he's not a doll
* Elmo is taking a break
* Oh boy! Broccoli candy!
* Your shoes are on the wrong feet but good try
* You're okay, that wasn't a bad fall
* You can't follow the exterminator around calling him Bug Man
* Did you poop?
* Stop whining!
* Let's calm down a little bit
* Don't put that in your mouth
* Are you kidding me?!?!?!
* Stop climbing on the ____
* Is it bedtime yet?

Monday, May 7, 2012

Somewhere Between Tummy Time and Potty Time

Somewhere between tummy time and potty time you'll find me...


* Tripping over toys
* Nursing during a tea party
* Drowning in laundry
* Plotting an escape
* Lying spread eagle at the Obgyn with one child projectile spitting up and the other trying to get a good look at what's going on between the stirrups
* Scouring Pinterest for anything that will a) keep my toddler preoccupied for 30 minutes and b) get my toddler to like broccoli again
* Wondering if I've forgotten any thank you cards
* Trying to plan a birthday party
* Cursing the people who don't hold the door for a woman lugging a car seat and dragging a distracted 2-year-old by the sleeve... As if chivalry and basic human decency automatically die as soon as someone decides to have more than one child... Like these people are trying to teach me a lesson or something
* Musing at how my eyebrows have been so terribly neglected that they now resemble a prepubescent boy's mustache
* Counting the seconds until tummy time (aka baby torture) concludes
* Pumping while preparing breakfast and washing dishes
* Unclipping every piece of baby gear that Mackenzie has fastened shut
* Drowning in more laundry
* Attempting to mop up the regurgitated breast milk that has pooled in my cleavage
* Searching for time to brush my teeth, go to the bathroom, and blog
* Hating the Kay Jewelers commercial featuring a perfect looking, well rested couple with a newborn. Those two are much too enthusiastic about getting up to feed their baby and neither one looks the least bit sleep deprived.
* Wondering where Mackenzie gets her energy and trying to figure out what happened to my own
* Forcing myself to remember that everything is just a phase
* Changing too many diapers
* Sitting patiently while Mackenzie tries to pee in the potty and making sure not to get too annoyed when she falls into the bowl (she doesn't want to use her toddler size seat, go figure)
* Trying to maintain a semblance of sanity
Mommy readers... where are YOU?