There are so many articles and blogs out there about being a mother - whether you're a working mom, staying at home, or somewhere in between, there's a site for you. Mostly, it's just women griping about why motherhood is really hard work and it's okay if you fall short every once and a while. It seems like these articles are validation for us to just be "okay" as parents. I'll fully admit that I still read these articles on occasion, and even pass them along to my friends, but I'm kind of at the point where enough is enough. Yes, being a parent is really hard work. I fully realize that I will fail or fall short of my own (or my child's) expectations throughout our lives, and I know that I'm not always going to put my best foot forward or try my hardest. And you know what? I will make the occasional decision where I put my needs ahead of my child. I was reading my Mother's Day post from last year and I commented on how motherhood is really hard work, but honestly, I think I meant that more from a physical perspective rather than an emotional one. I don't know what I learned about being a parent over the past year. I know that broken bones eventually heal and that having an urgent care close by is really nice. I've learned that children form irrational attachments to inanimate objects and can learn how to use an iPhone better than most adults. I understand that biting is just a phase and not a reflection on my parenting. There is nothing better than an unsolicited hug and sometimes Mom really is the only thing that makes everything better. The best parts of my day are when he comes padding down the hallway to our bedroom to crawl in and snuggle with us. The more words my child learns only increases the likelihood that he'll never stop talking, and I have to accept the fact that I will never really know what goes on in his head. The point of this is, as my dear friend Molly would say, that the days may be long but the years are short and there is not a moment I want to forget from the past two and a half years - broken legs, ear infections and all.
Anyways, our week was pretty great - we had one medical issue which required some attention. Jack had this hangnail that he kept picking. For the record, I'd like to state that I try to cut Jack's nails on a regular basis, however he equates this with torture, and so it becomes a very difficult process. I'm not joking. He acts like I'm actually severing his fingers every time I try to pare those nails down. So I've actually got to pin him against something. Lately, I've been pinning him up against the sink in his bathroom, using my free arm to wrap around and hold down one arm and try to cut his fingernails as quickly as I can before he gut-checks me and runs away screaming. Cutting his toenails is actually a two-person job. Anyways, so he had this hangnail that got infected. I tried to fix it at home - soaking it, keeping it clean, covering it up - but I discovered that it is impossible to keep a toddler's hands clean and that my child also equates Band-Aids with torture devices. Anyways, Jeff basically made me take Jack to urgent care because he was convinced Jack was going to lose his thumb. Well, I did and again, it was a very traumatic experience. They had to lance and drain his finger and then he needed to keep it covered. This was no small feat, let me tell you. They put on some numbing solution before actually lancing it and he did not stop crying:
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Anyways, when it came time to actually perform the procedure, Jack had to sit in my lap and I had to wrap my legs around him and hold down his unaffected arm. There was another child services woman in there to help, as well as a nurse and the doctor. We got it done - but man, was it traumatic for him. Afterwards, he clung on to me and sobbed into my hair for at least thirty minutes. They also had to wrap it up and I was concerned about how I was ever going to keep it on, but then Jeff comes to the rescue - he saw Jack's hand and said, "Whoa, buddy! Cool Mickey glove!" and then it was all okay. Anyways, I'm pleased to report that the finger is a lot better than it was and Jeff is now confident that Jack will not lose his thumb. So, we got home pretty late, had a quick dinner and then we all got into bed. I think I said this before, there's nothing that a little snuggle with the Blue-Dog and Daddy won't fix. I'm the evil one - I had to take him to get his finger cut open!
So anyways, we ended up having a pretty amazing weekend as well. On Saturday, we just bummed around the house, cleaning and doing chores. When Jack went down for his nap, I actually got to read a book - outside! It was a beautiful day, and I actually think I got a bit of color. Anyways, when he woke up, we went to Pinstripes for a family outing. My mom's birthday is later this month and yesterday was, of course, Mother's Day, so we decided to have one big outing to celebrate both occasions. When I told Jeff that we were going bowling, he looked at me as if pigs had just flown out of my mouth. I think the thought was that neither Jack or Wim would really be able to handle bowling and it would be just a total circus. But, at the end of the day, both Jack and Wim did wonderfully. They really got the concept of bowling and had a lot of fun rolling their balls down the ramps and knocking over pins. They were really great at taking turns and staying out of everyone's way. I didn't bowl, so I got to look after Baby Bash while everyone else did their thing.
Afterwards, we all had a family dinner and my mom opened her presents. Jack was not being awesome throughout dinner and wanted to go back and keep playing "basketball" and got really mad at me when I wouldn't let him. Eventually, Boppa and I just took him outside while everyone waited for the check. So, on Sunday, all three of us went to church to see my mom and Grandma for Mother's Day and then Jeff and I took Jack out to the zoo. Honestly, this was the best decision ever - he had so much fun. He loved making all the animal noises, feeding the goats on the farm, and just running around. He was still talking about the chickens when we were getting ready for bed last night:
We got home for nap after a quick lunch and then I went out to do some shopping. We're headed to Arizona at the end of next week and Jack really needed some summer clothes - plus, I finally figured that I should start doing something about the baby's room. So, I ended up buying some bedding and I started making lists of things we need to do and buy over the next six weeks or so. I figure we probably need to be ready for her arrival by the end of June, which is only six weeks away if you can believe it! All of a sudden, the pregnancy that would never end seems to really be picking up speed!
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