Mommyhood Archives - Page 7 of 9

Mommy Tears Rain Down

April 15, 2010 By Deirdre

During my brief time as a mommy, there have been many different types of tears that have fallen.

There are tears of happiness that fell when for the first time I got to hold him at the hospital.

There have been tears of exhaustion when JDaniel didn’t sleep much as a baby. I used to hold him to my chest with tears rolling down face questioning why God didn’t give a non-sleeping baby to a younger mom. There have been long days when my husband had to work late, JDaniel was fussing about something or other and a simple thing that goes wrong can lead to a few tears. I know those are tears of exhaustion.

There are tears of sadness that rain down when I have seen JDaniel cry at something he has seen on one of his PBS shows. Toddler’s tears are contagious. They also rain down when he gets hurt. (I don’t cry right there in front of him. They seem to hit later on.)

There are tears of joy that fall when he does something for the first time. When he climbed a ladder at the playground or took his first step, I have to admit there were small drops falling from my eyes.

Finally, there are tears that come from writing a blog post about a simple everyday event that has happened in our lives. There isn’t a particular reason for those tears they just seem to come. Maybe it is just because I am so grateful to have him be a part of my life and be his mom.

Learning To Be A Butterfly While You Are A Caterpillar

April 8, 2010 By Deirdre

JDaniel is still learning so much about everything in his world. He would love to fly freely and explore the world on his own terms much like a butterfly. There are times during the day that we need to crawl like a caterpillar through the lessons needed to grow into a beautiful butterfly. They are not always his favorite times of the day. Some lessons require time outs while others are teachable moments, learning from books or building on skills he has already acquired. These times can be frustrating for both of us. Learning isn’t always easy. Sometimes the same lessons need to be crawled through over and over again. Not all these times are tough. During some caterpillar times, JDaniel and I rejoice in lessons learned and concepts understood with loud cheers and flitting around the room.

Some day he will fly freely into the world. I hope he will remember the lessons he learned from his caterpillar moments.

Pollen! Pollen! Go Away! JDaniel wants to go out and play!

April 6, 2010 By Deirdre

On Sunday as we got in the car to go to my mothers-in-law in Georgia JDaniel must have touched a little of the green pollen that coated my husband’s car. He started rubbing his eyes within minutes of getting in the car. I washed his hands and face with Cetaphil to clean them off. (I carry small bottles on Cetaphil in his diaper bag.) He continued to rub his face and cry, “Eyes hurt.” I sit in the backseat with him when we go on road trips. It was breaking my heart to see him in pain. So, I did what I thought was best. I took him illegally out of his car seat and held him. Yes, he should have stayed in his seat. Did he stop rubbing? Yes, he wrapped his arms around me, put his head on my shoulder, and rubbed only every so often.

He was fine traveling in the car around Augusta. JDaniel started rubbing his neck on the way back home last night. This morning he woke up with a rash on his face and puffy eyes. I gave him a bath and thankfully had lotion left from an allergic reaction to grass last summer along with his daily dose of Claritin. The dermatologist can see him tomorrow. I hope we get a good rain soon. Until we do we will be playing inside.

Are you having trouble with pollen now?

I know we need pollen and butterflies and bees love it. Right now I just want it to go away!

Kate and One Special Egg

April 1, 2010 By Deirdre

My mom loves to tell the story of my sister Kate and her one special egg. Mom and Kate were at an Easter egg hunt that featured one special golden egg. For some reason my mom decided that egg was going to be theirs. Kate must have been about two and at this hunt two year olds were allowed to have their moms accompany them on their hunt for eggs. My mom spotted the golden egg in the field and tried to guide Kate to the egg. Kate had another plan. She had noticed a plastic egg sitting in the grass that she really wanted. Once she reached the egg she had been focused on, she sat down and started playing with it. My mom could still see the golden egg out of the corner of her eye. She really wanted to go over and pick it up for Kate, but decided not to. If Kate had the one special egg she wanted, that would have to be enough.

The way my mom tells the story I don’t think she has fully gotten over Kate’s deciding not to go for the golden egg. I hope that I will let JDaniel find and appreciate the things he enjoys and not pushing him to go for my golden egg dreams.

Remembering Blessings Daily

March 30, 2010 By Deirdre

A few weeks ago the pastor of our church encouraged us to think about praying as he does. He starts by thanking God for all the blessings of the previous day. Then he prays for the things and people he will encounter on that day. Finally he prays for things that are coming up that week.

Here are some blessings from yesterday:

JDaniel and I had a wonderful time at playgroup. We are so blessed to have wonderful people to play and visit with each week.

JDaniel took a nice refreshing nap yesterday afternoon. He has been hit or miss with naps lately. It was refreshing that he took at great one yesterday.

We have house with a big backyard to play in. The weather warmed up and we had a great time playing.

My husband has a job to go to. Not everyone can say that. We have friends that have been out of work for several months. They have said Monday is the hardest day of the week for them.

Changes From One to Two

March 2, 2010 By Deirdre

JDaniel will turn two on Friday. When I think about what he was doing a year ago and compare it to what he is doing now, it is amazing.

There are some things that are the same. Books are still one of his favorite things in the world. He has always loved to sit by himself and look at books as well as being read to. JDaniel’s very best friends are still the friends he met through the library and play group. Being outside or as he says “ouside” is really where he loves to be. We still start the day with morning prayers and snuggling. He still loves to snuggle with his hand up my husband’s or my sleeve. During meals holding hands to pray is still something JDaniel does. Bathtime is very much something he has continued to love. Eating has also continued to be something he enjoys. Now he is a little pickier.

There are many things that are different. JDaniel didn’t start to walk until he was 15 month old. This time last year he was still low crawling. Now he runs everywhere. I love to hear the padding of his sneakers around the house. He didn’t used to like to feed himself. Now he doesn’t like to be fed. Coloring, painting with bingo markers, building towers, and exploring all of his toys fills his time inside the house. Outside he loves to blow bubbles, gather sticks, play soccer, and write with chalk. JDaniel talks a mile a minute and knows about 400 words now. (About 150 of the words are food related) He gives great hugs now. He used to just cling. He can now say, “I wub you”,blow kisses, and hug you.

I wonder what he will be like this time next year.

My Son Changed His Name To You

February 17, 2010 By Deirdre

For a very long time, JDaniel called himself Me. Everything was about a little boy named Me. A few weeks ago he changed his name to You. It was very confusing at first.

I would say, “ What would you like for lunch?”

He would say, “You cheese, bagel, gapes.”

I would say, “I would eat them. How about you?”

He would say, “You! You!” Then he would point to himself.

I would say, “You would like them for lunch?”

He would say again, “ You! You! (This time frantically pointing to himself.)

I would finally say, “ JDaniel would like cheese, bagel, and gapes.”

Finally, he would say, “Yes!” with an exasperated sigh.

How did I get into this mess? It started with my saying:

Are you ready to go upstairs?

Would you like to go to the park?

Are you the most beautiful toddler in the world?

You did a wonderful job.

You can play with bubbles.

I guess he decided that his name was now You.

At playgroup yesterday I found out that two of the other children in the group have changed their names too. They are also now named You.

My Little Valentine’s Head Was On Fire

February 11, 2010 By Deirdre

JDaniel seemed to be over his cold early in the week so; we went to playground and mom’s group events at church on Monday and Tuesday. When I went to get him after his nap on Tuesday, his little head was on fire. I held him of a couple minutes to comfort him and cuddle before using the thermometer on him to see how hot he was. The thermometer read 104 degrees. Despite his pleading to not be placed in the tub, he went into a tub of lukewarm water and had his hair wetted down. The only way he would cooperate was if he could keep his pacifier. Then he got some fever reducing medicine and a cup of water with a little jello mixed in. He drank the whole cup.

We then spent the next several hours reading books and watching a marathon on children’s shows on PBS. His temperature seemed to drop every time I checked it which was every forty five minutes. I was so thankful.

JDaniel didn’t want dinner. He sat in his highchair with his head on his tray while I tried to ply him with him favorite foods. (As many of you know he is always hungry. JDaniel’s lack of interest in food was alarming for my husband and me.) Finally before bedtime he drank some watered down juice.

The next morning his appetite hadn’t totally returned, but he did eat and was interested in playing and not being attached to mom like spider monkey. He did rebound at lunch and ate an almost normal dinner. JDaniel’s desire to run and play hide and seek after dinner was seen as a joyous event.

Today he is fussy and whining a lot, but he was doing that before the fever. I guess he is back to normal.

Me and My Shadow- We are Sick Together

February 3, 2010 By Deirdre

JDaniel and I have both been sick since Friday. (My husband joined in the fun over the weekend.) We skipped the mom’s group at church on Tuesday and playgroup on Monday. I guess you could say we have had a lot of alone time. We do separate when he walks off to “read a book” because he is not interested in what I am doing. For past five days JDaniel has been my shadow.

What do you do with all that time?

*Read a Dr. Seuss anthology many times a day. (Along with countless other books.)

*Cleaned and did laundry together. (We cleaned towels, sheets, and clothes trying to get rid of the germs.)

*We have done crafts and colored.

*Building with train tracks and Megablocks has been popular.

*Getting ready for two consignment sales has been adventure, but we are ready.

*Playing with trucks and dancing to Ross King’s CD has filled a lot of time.

*Playing with cookie cutters has been fun.

*On Monday we did go to the grocery store to stock up on cough drops and a few other things.

*On Tuesday we did go the consigner’s open house at Angel’s Attic to shop. (Yes, we could have infected people. No, I wasn’t willing skip getting to shop before the general public gets in to sale today. We didn’t stay long. I was worried he would miss behave. He stuck close by with the promise of checking out the toy area after the clothes. It only cost me a $3 vacuum cleaner to keep him nearby.)