My Week in Motherhood

>  No matter what time of day it is, if he's hungry, tired, wet, or grumpy, no matter how bad or good he may feel, the Mario Bros. song will always, ALWAYS get a smile.  [see photo above]

>  AA has now had a runny nose for 20 days straight.  A week ago, he gained a sore throat, cough, and wheezing on top of that.  To say we've been a little bit miserable would be an understatement.  There is nothing more pathetic than a sad baby...and there's also nothing more hilarious.  Obviously I feel horrible that he feels horrible, but sometimes he's just so melodramatic about it, I have to hold in my laughter.

>  Caring for a sick baby is almost as exhausting as being sick yourself.  It has been yet another lesson in "So this is how my mother felt!"  I remember how comforting and better it felt to be near my mom when I was sick as a kid; it is incredibly humbling to know that I'm doing the same for AA now, too.

> One morning this week, I started singing "The Circle of Life" to AA while he sat in his high chair and I emptied the dishwasher, and I got so overwhelmed by emotion, I couldn't finish.  Not even because I was thinking about the meaning of life or anything deep...I just literally love The Lion King to the point of tears.

>  As the sickness stuck around and each day got a little harder, I noticed that I slowly devolved into a total slob.  On Monday, I had fixed hair, make-up on, and wore real clothes; today, I have day 3 hair, no make up, and wore sweats.  Just ran out of energy!

>  I want, need, and will possibly physically and mentally collapse if I don't get a little break this weekend.  Scott has promised me 3 baby-free hours out of the house!  I'm imagining something simple:  a Target trip without a car seat in the cart, a smoothie while I sit in the sun at a park, and maybe even an afternoon matinee.  Isn't it amazing how in just 4 months an afternoon like that has become a total luxury - and something that has to be planned in advance?!

>  I am now a woman who picks her child's boogers and wipes his nose on her clothes.

>  This evening during the witching hour, I took AA for a quick stroll outside before we started to put him to bed.  All of a sudden, I realized I was standing barefooted in my front yard with a baby on my hip.  It may sound silly, but that's what I always pictured being a mom would look like.  And there I was, doing it.  Finally.  I've arrived at the place I've been dreaming of.  And it feels really good.