One of my happiest and most vivid childhood memories was the annual back to school shopping trip. Browsing the aisles for the perfect pencil case, pencils and notebooks was just my sort of heaven when I was a child (it still is actually, I am always on cloud 9 just by looking at the rows of pens at any store). My mom would melt the old broken down small bits and make rainbow crayons for us. The yellow box just means fun to me. I remember at school the kid with the largest box would be the coolest especially if it had one of those built in sharpeners.
So when I read that toddler my daughter’s age should be able to start learning how to hold crayons I realized that we don’t have any at home. Up until I had her I always had coloring pencils or felt tip pens and play dough because I enjoy playing. Yesterday I picked a pack of fat crayons because they should be easier to hold. We opened the box today and she picked out a red crayon, She likes bright colo. She held it and then attempted to put it into her mouth. I picked out a purple on and started drawing swirls on a white sheet of paper, she was fascinated and then tried to put her crayon in her mouth again. After a couple of failed attempts she threw the crayon away and went to play with her other toys. I guess she’s still not ready yet, but when she is, we have crayons.
My daughter and I enjoyed a lovely day out today and I learned some interesting things.
She tortured a 3 year old girl by calling her “baby” the little girl kept telling her “I am not a baby you are a baby” only to find my little one year old insisting on calling her “baby”. They did this several times until the little girl decided that Lulu just couldn’t get it.
She loves shopping trips, anything that glitters and shines and mirrors.
She loves fountains. They amaze her and I encourage her by dangling her hands and feet in the water.
She loves Red Kidney beans but they cause really smelly diapers.
She thinks sneezing is funny. Actually she thinks sneezing is hilarious!
She has color preferences.
She loves fries and orange juice.
She won’t sit on the potty but she proudly informs us of “Poop”.
She loves waving to random people.
She thinks hairbrushes, toothbrushes and shoes are edible.
When she’s in a good mood, I am in a good mood. When she’s cranky, she makes me very very cranky.
No one told me when I signed on for got tricked into this Momy thing that it was going to be this hard. Yesterday instead of a happy cheerful baby Lulu, she was upset and distraught. She usually greets me with a morning smile and we go about our morning rituals of momy dancing and singing and then diaper changing and feeding. It’s probably the nicest time of the day because she’s fresh but not too energetic and we just start the day with a giggle. She started crying uncontrollably for maybe 30 minutes and I tried everything to soothe her and then she threw up all over me, the bed and the bedroom floor. After another 30 minutes she calmed down and fell asleep. She woke up later and threw up again so we went to the doctor. The doctor treated me like the next Crazy Moma and told me it was a stomach cold and sent us home with some paracetamol and stuff. She took her meds and settled down a bit, but still spent the rest of the day looking tired, sleeping a lot and rarely smiling. She woke up better today (al 7amdullah) but still not her usual cheery self. She usually crawls around all day and follows me from room to room while I make the bed and straighten the place out. She chews on the table, claps and mumbles some Japaneese language I am unaware of, so when she just sits and stares into space it breaks my heart in two. She doesn’t even want to play in my handbag and spill the contents on the floor like everyday and doesn’t crawl into the bathroom to try and grab the toiletpaper.
I was thinking about my own mother, how I must have gotten sick hundreds of times when I was little and how she must have stayed up all night making sure I was alright. I can’t remember any of those times and I can’t even recall what she did when we were sick, but now I am grateful for it. You really can’t appreciate your parents fully until you have kids of your own. I was sick last week and I am a country and a continent away but she still called me several times during the day to check on me, so I know the Momying never really stops.
A friend of mine sent me this video today and I thought it totally made a great ending for this post.
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Motherhood is an awesome thing, really, it is. Having a baby changes everything, really, it does. There were so many things I took for granted before I had my daughter. I sometimes miss them but sometimes I’m too sleep deprived and totally numb to care.
Sleeping in. Sleeping in general takes a back seat to caring for a baby. They wake up at night and need stuff like nursing, diaper changes or just a cuddle. I sometimes am amazed how my body can sometimes manage on a couple of hours of sleep for days.
Going out in 5 minutes. Now it takes 45 minutes. Change diaper, feed baby, make sure diaper bag has everything, change clothes, comb hair (I guess this is why bald babies need less time to go out), change diaper again, find the missing hair clip, comb hair again, find missing sock under the sofa, put on said sock and shoes, find keys, find wallet, find cell phone. Mommy then needs to get into clean clothes and we can leave the house. In the car you need another 10 minutes to put baby in the car seat especially if said baby has learned how to wiggle out of the harness.
Going wherever you want. I haven’t been to the movies in 10 months. I really would love to see a movie, but I don’t want to annoy everyone else with a crying baby and I don’t want to have to get up and take her our if she cries and miss all of the nice bits in the movie. God bless DVDs.
Traveling light. Diaper bag, mommy bag, toys, food, stroller and that’s only what you need for a quick pop to the shops.
Being selfish. Yes, being selfish was fun.
Me time. Just sitting and chilling out is something I miss. Babies seem to have this internal system that lets them know when you need to relax and they suddenly need to play and make a mess.
Manicures and pedicures. I still occasionally manage to go and get one but they are very few and far between.
Clutter free living. I have two toy boxes (well one box and one big fish looking bucket) but still some toys find their way under the coffee table, in our bed and in the kitchen. I make a big deal of teaching my daughter that the toys need to sleep in their boxes hopefully that one day she will learn to do it herself.
Getting sick. Getting sick is a luxury because who will do all of the things mommy does for baby? Once I figure out who can do them I will get sick.
Driving recklessly. Driving was something I never imagined would have changed because I am more or less a safe driver but now I drive much slower and always feel like I need to be extra careful.
On a more positive note, I get to watch lots of Sesame Street.
My daughter was just playing with her new favorite toy, a half empty water bottle which she shakes and throws and makes different sounds with. I called her name so that she would turn around, she did and gave me the same exact look my mother gives me when she’s concentrating and someone breaks her concentration. It is a mix of boredom and annoyment. It is so cute and freaky at the same time. She is determined and focused when she crawls, curious in everything around her and wants to hold everything.
I was just thinking that staying at home has lots of its perks so here they are
No managers, just one very bossy baby.
There are no deadlines, just one ongoing very long day trying to finish all of your small tasks
There is no competition, there can only be one mommy, so you are always employee of the month.
Even diaper changing can be fun if you make it game like. Baby hold clean nappy, baby hold diaper cream, baby chew on clean nappy, baby lift your legs up, lots of tickles and presto it is fun!
Every day is casual Thursday, I could wear a clown suit and no one would care except the baby and I think she might find it funny.
Dancing and singing off tune is acceptable and is very appreciated.
You can take naps, that is when and if the baby decides to take one.
Playing tickle monster all day.
Playing hairdresser with the baby’s hair and trying out different do’s all day long.
And the top ten reason is that you are payed in smiles and giggles.
Yes it is exhausting, yes sometimes I feel like poking my own eardrums when she’s having a cry fest for no apparent reason but it is always rewarding. It is an enjoyable journey and I have big plans. The process of learning together and seeing the world through little Miss Wiggly Bottom’s eyes is just more than anything I had ever expected.
by my daughter. She is six months and has been playing with a peice of silver gift wrapping paper for the last hour. She has examined it, scrunched it, licked it, tried to eat it and watched it reflect light. She has folded it, crumpled it, even smiled at it and sort of sang to it. Not only is she entertained but she appears to be interested in something I was going to throw away. Everything must seem so new and interesting when one is that young. SubhanAllah.
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One of my happiest and most vivid childhood memories was the annual back to school shopping trip. Browsing the aisles for the perfect pencil case, pencils and notebooks was just my sort of heaven when I was a child (it still is actually, I am always on cloud 9 just by looking at the rows of pens at any store). My mom would melt the old broken down small bits and make rainbow crayons for us. The yellow box just means fun to me. I remember at school the kid with the largest box would be the coolest especially if it had one of those built in sharpeners.
). I finally met the little person who was living inside my belly for 9 months and kicking my insides like there was no tommorrow. I was blessed with a beautiful baby girl who is a miniature version of myself and has the sweetest grin ( even though it is still a reflex, it is as cute as hell ). I am trying to adjust to my new life even though I was mentally ready for it, when the baby finally arrived it was nothing like I ever thought it would be. It has also made me have so much more appreciation towards my mum.
