- My day started off as it should, with a cup of coffee and smiles from the baby girl sitting next to me. She stared at me questionably, wondering why she would have to wait approximately 3-6 hours for a secondhand sip. I fixed Chloe a bowl of cereal that she requested. She proceeded to pick at it half-heartedly until she finished off by dumping it all over the table, and it found its final resting place in a puddle on the floor. After my much needed cup of joe, I decided to partake in my own delectable bowl of Cheerios. That’s when it happened. The biggest surprise to me, is that I was somehow surprised. Before the spoon was able to grace my lips, out of nowhere she came, the dreaded Cereal Bandit. Chubby little fingers came in like a super ninja swiping my honey nuts. I don’t know what happens from the box to my bowl. Chef Ramsey would love to capture the secret ingredient that magically infuses itself in a Mom’s portion of food. A bland meal suddenly becomes irresistible when transferred to my lap. Amazing. I have basically surrendered to the fact that I will be sharing from my plate for the unforeseeable future. Unless I can grow the resolve of Anne Sullivan, I got to settle for a little Helen Keller table habits.
- Around lunch time, my sweet baby girl is usually ready for her big nap of the day. I can’t help it. I will plan and schedule around this nap now that she’s showing it to be her new pattern. When I put her down for it, I get excited and go into my race mode. I realize that if I’m lucky, I’ve got four hours that I could accomplish things in without holding, rocking, patting, or nursing an infant. I always take this opportunity to get a bath. I don’t do showers much anymore. You can’t hear babies crying or toddler’s schemes with a running shower. After my bath today, my little clock in my head started ticking as I thought of all the household chores I wanted to accomplish while Bailey napped. Nothing is set in stone, I reminded myself. She could easily wake up after only 30 minutes, so I better get moving. I soaked too long. It was then that Chloe appeared in the doorway and peering up at me, she begged “hold me Momma.” So I did. I tried to get up and put her down a couple of times, but she pleaded “No Momma. Hold me.” I looked at the clock on the wall and decided that nothing I needed to do today was as important as holding my girl when she wanted me to so badly. So we sat there and watched cartoons together. At first she didn’t even look at the TV. She just buried her face in my neck. And that was all the confirmation I needed to know I made the right decision.
- We ended our day by going out to eat. Going out to eat is always interesting with kids. If you have young ones, then basically you should set your mind on the fact that you may not get to eat. Our dining experience started with Chloe appearing to be a miniature OCD patient. She brought in her own silverware (purple with princesses on it) and began to polish her tiny fork and spoon repeatedly with her napkin. She got a big kid go cup of white milk. At one point she took a big gulp (perhaps too big) and ended up spewing it across the table. When I asked her why she did it, she quickly replied, “You see, I was drinking milk, and a lot of it, and I drank it a lot, and I wanted some more.” Oh. Well that makes perfect sense. When she got her plate of fish, she proceeded to eat her tartar sauce with a spoon. Bailey, on the other hand, took the bringing of the entrees as her cue to begin screaming like I had poked her with Chloe’s fork. All in all, I was able to pat her up on my shoulder with one hand and eat with the other, ingesting a stellar 50% of my meal. Mommy dieting at its best. I decided to pack up the remainder of our plates in a go box after Chloe yelled out in a frightening tone “I gotta pee!” After a mad dash to the potty, the appetite is completely done. That’s what microwaves are for.
That is all 🙂