Imprisoned in the House of Sick – A Saturday in June

The biggest challenge for me, as a temporary single parent of young children, is leaving the house becomes an execution of strategy and planning.  Since the children obviously cannot be left alone, they must accompany me everywhere.   Constant companionship is a challenge for me as well.  Add sickness.  I can’t really go anywhere being a responsible citizen mama and limiting exposure.  The situation is not bad enough yet to seek relief.   The house, however, is beginning to feel like a prison.

Handsome Little Man has an upset stomach. 

We attempted to break free.  After he slept off  episode one for most of the morning and he ate a small lunch and claimed to feel much better, we all set off for fresh air.  Destination: Washington Harbor to walk along the Potomac.  Parking was hard to come by and before I could find a space, Little Man began to complain again.  *sigh* I don’t want a repeat incident away from home.  Back home we go.

Sometimes my motherhood experience feels like near constant vexation, punctuated with moments of joy.  I wish it were the other way around!

We made it home, just in time.  Thankfully, Little Man is being a good sport of it, with no whining.

Already this morning, I have dealt with a vomiting boy, spilled apple juice on the sofa cushion, and urine on the living room floor (although I was asking for it.  I let Diva Darling run around nude.  Potty training does not begin in earnest until after the move and we are settled).  It’s the constant clean-up that I object to.  I like clean, just not the cleaning.

Relief is en route.  However, we are not going to attempt prison break #2.  I texted the Hubby to take a taxi home.

I’m now planning my temporary escape when relief does come.  Due to the pending move 3 days away (3 days away!), our cupboards are quite bare and definitely out of stock of necessary upset stomach comfort foods and drinks.  My escape will include a quick kid-free trip to Safeway, a guilt-free snarfing of some fattening ice cream product like a Wendy’s frosty, and 10 minutes of quiet somewhere, soaking in the fresh non-humidity air and sunshine.

Good times, people!  Good times!

Does everyone have this much fun and life challenges daily as me, but I'm the only one who broadcasts my woe-is-me attitude?  Or do I just have bad mojo??

What’s In A Morning? (Or How I Know I Have Embraced Suburban Mama Lifestyle)

I am breezing through life today in a velour lounge suit with ballet flats.  This attire signals a true embrace of all things Suburban Mama.  I’m not even trying to fake anyone out (or myself) by wearing running shoes, as if I already did or am going to do my workout at some point today.  Some days elevated heart rate results only from over-consumption of coffee or having Diva Darling scare me half to death with her Near Miss Catastrophe of an Inquisitive Toddler Brain.

What I am really trying to embrace is taking my day slow, let it unfold, not having my mind racing, accepting the Now and relishing in its moments.  Letting go.  Letting go of Facebook updates and email checks, letting go that I wish I was doing something else, letting go of trying to be the perfect mama, letting go that I will never have “House Beautiful” while I’m living in it 24-7.  Embracing that my life is about Diva Darling, Handsome Little Man, Incontinent Dog #1, and Neurotic Dog #2.  Embracing that there is A LOT OF LOVE every single day, but there is A LOT OF CLEANING every single day, too.  They just go hand-in-hand.  And the sooner I accept it, the less frustrated I will be.

So as I write this, Diva Darling naps.  The dogs nap.  The washing machine is whirling. I can’t check Facebook or email because the Internet is down, which is a good thing.  I also can’t check Craigslist, which I also check daily about employment opportunities, thinking that the perfect job will appear for which I am the perfect candidate, and accepting it will be worth the juggle.  Please note that actually submitting a cover letter and resume is an entirely different subject.  But in my head, I have the job! 

So my morning:

• Boy up.
• Diva Darling up.  Diaper Change.
• Boy & Diva Darling fed.
• Snack/lunch made for the Boy.
• Barked at the Boy to hurry it up.
• Walked Boy to the bus stop with Diva Darling in tow (Carried).
• Let Diva Darling walk back to the house ever so slowly.  Up the stairs.  Down the stairs.  Explore.
• Walked Neurotic Dog to do her business, while keeping an eye on Diva Darling.
• Walked Incontinent Dog to do her business.  Had help from Diva Darling.
• Diaper Change.

• Diva Darling Captivated by Potty Trainer & Toilet Paper.  This is a surprise since I have not even introduced this concept to her.  She does tell me when she has soiled her diaper and wants to be changed right away.  But today she was watching me on the toilet (yes, yes.  There is no privacy.  Ever.  I know.  TMI.).  And I showed her the potty (which doubles as a step stool), which has been the bathroom all this while.  And she sat on it and “practiced” with toilet paper. Hmm.  I do know they say girls pick up on this earlier than boys.  We shall see.
• Chased Diva Darling around to change her clothes and get ready for class.
• Diva Darling & I attended a Mommy & Me movement class.  Skipped out early because Diva Darling is not playing nice.  After redirecting her a gazillion times and telling her to use “Gentle Hands”, I reached my limit.  We went outside to the playground instead.
• Ran to the drugstore for envelopes (Room Parent responsibility) and milk (Errand for my neighbor).
• Home.

The only time I write is when Diva Darling is asleep.  I write at naptime or late at night.  So as I type, I now have a slumbering child, and then soon it will be time to feed the well-rested Cyclone.  Chase the Cyclone.  Diaper Change the Cyclone.  Play with Cyclone.  Meet the other Cyclone at the Bus Stop.  

Let’s not even discuss the 4pm to 8pm After-school Duty.  That’s a whole post by itself!

And there’s my day.  But I’m wearing my velour lounge suit and therefore, I can do all things!

SHE POOPS!!! Alternate Title: I Praise the Power of Prunes.

I never realized how much of my life would include dealing with shit! Literally.

We are at the baby stage in which one of my primary job duties is poop analysis: consistency and frequency. (And of course, there is poop clean-up, but that’s not really a stage, it’s a never-ending duty.) Little girl has been eating solids for the past two weeks. We started with rice cereal and applesauce and then moved to vegetables. Her favorite food thus far has been carrots.

Since she is the second child, I am much more relaxed about keeping track of things, one of which is the frequency of her bowel movements. Right from the get go, her regularity has been spaced out by days. So I was not surprised nor alarmed when she had not done her business in a few days. But then, extreme crankiness descended upon the house. Clearly, my little one felt very uncomfortable. Hmmm….after mentally reviewing the “what’s-wrong-with-baby” checklist, I noted that perhaps my preciousness might be constipated. She was not necessarily inconsolable, but definitely letting me know that she was not happy. The usual comforts from Mom were not cutting it.

So we had a series of bad nights of a lot of crying and restless sleeping….and that was just me. Ha! No seriously, she was up a lot. Midnight bath and tummy massage did temporarily relieve the pressure build-up and did allow for some sleep for both of us. I called the pediatrician’s office for advice on at home remedies as well as to make an appointment if those did not correct the problem. The nurse recommended apple juice and prunes. And if that did not solve it, then a glycerin suppository. I really hoped it did not come down to that.

Happily she sucked down apple juice for the first time. And prunes? Why they are delicious. Thank you, Mommy. Now I praise the power of prunes. I did not have to wait for long for the prunes to work its magic. Later in the afternoon, albeit it was an effort for her as conveyed with some very angry crying, she passed what can only be described as a golf ball of poop. Her bowel movement was the size of a golf ball and just about as hard. No wonder little girl was mad.

This is how I know I unabashedly embrace parenthood. I considered taking a picture and sending it the Hubby. I didn’t! I just thought about it. Instead I did give a full report to the Hubby which I’m sure made his day in between emails, meetings, and briefings.

But there is a cautionary note to this as well. Beware of prune power! Because apparently, I overloaded little girl with a little too much prunes. Her body obviously tried to self-correct its system. I had to deal with not one, but two blowouts soon thereafter the golf ball incident.

I haven’t decided which is worse – constipation crankiness or blowout battles that make me want to don on protective gear, throw everything out in a hurry, and dunk her in the bathtub.

For the time being, I do now have a happy girl. I am monitoring her poop schedule a little more closely as well as her diet. It’s the first bout of many, I’m sure.

My To-Do List Mocks Me. And Other Challenges.

I have been meaning to post several times in the last two weeks, but just never have found the chunk of time to write a complete thought and then upload. I have a few unfinished posts that may never be developed fully. Such is a life of a mom with a newborn. Again I reiterate that I do not have deep, developed thoughts at this point in my life. My schedule is not my own. I live in 5-10 minute intervals. Or usually with the thought “How much time before the baby wakes up?” Like now, I can hear her stirring. I have set my timer for 10 minutes and will write what comes to mind and then post whatever that may be.

Operating under a time crunch, let me list my life in a nutshell ( Must lover bullet formats!):

• Much thanks to my parents who visited for 10 days to help me when Hubby returned to work. They were a huge help especially with the Boy, chauffeuring him to preschool and keeping him entertained. At that point in time, baby girl and I had a wicked sleep schedule still where we were awake into the wee hours and still got up frequently. I’m proud to say that in the past 2 nights she has been sleeping up to a 5 hour intervals (knock on wood!).

• Also much thanks to my father for doing yard work. Really it is so nice to stop looking like THE RENTAL house of the neighborhood.

• Both Mom & mother-in-law and Hubby are encouraging me to hire a cleaning service. For some reason, I feel like this is truly indulgent for a stay-at-home mom since isn’t cleaning one of my primary duties? But since I apparently suck at maintaining a clean, clutter-free house and because I’d much rather spend my precious time actually interacting with my children (and not being pissed off from cleaning), I will investigate how much a weekly service will cost. I hear from my friends who came out of the woodwork on Facebook to confess that they already use a cleaning service and that it is well worth every penny. Who knew?!

• I am working on birth announcements and thank you cards. One day I might actually send them out. It’s all about working in batches. I had originally wanted to include a quick update to my friends and family especially those who are not online. But I may never send them if I have to find the time to write a coherent letter of good tidings.

• I went grocery shopping today with both kids. Let’s just say that activity is the major accomplishment of the day. Little girl cried the entire drive home. I assumed she was hungry. She was, but she was more angry with the blowout that occurred at some point. So the groceries sat in the car while I changed her and nursed her. Thirty or so minutes later, I finally got to the groceries. I need to remember that I will probably only get one errand done a day if/when I have both kids are with me. (Note: I may never get my nails done again! I need to find an hour for this sometime this week!)