joie

Sometimes a boy just needs to release a little tension

After one of THOSE nights (when you think you were up with the kid all night long and in the morning compare notes with your spouse and find its worse than you thought...), the morning started off...energetic?...busy?...manic? Well, like this: Before 8 am Gabe had eaten breakfast, tortured the cat several times, done three puzzles, emptied a drawer of kitchen utensils on to the floor, played with his bowling set, had a snack, knocked over his play kitchen and all its contents, pushed his little sister down several times, colored, and VERY reluctantly and with much urging, "helped" clean most of it up. at 8 am, Mama resorted to TV. Eloise took a nap and the cat enjoyed a break from the tail pulling. Ahhhhhh...peace.

When it was over he seemed sweet and calm. So deceptive. Because then it was time to get dressed. Like we always do. Everyday. Without complaint. I wish someone had warned me that today was the day wearing pants was going to RUIN Gabe's life. Its music class day. My bottom line is you need to wear pants to music class. Wear last seasons trends, mix plaids and stripes for all I care, but you must wear pants. In the midst of throwing toys at me and screaming while stomping his feet frantically, he started demanding "Ssssnaaaack!"

Okay, good distraction, "What kind of snack would you like?"

"SSSSSSNAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!!!"

"Do you want an orange?"

"NO!"

"crackers?"

"NO!"

"banana?"

"NNNNOOOOO!"

"What kind of snack do you want?"

"Ssssnaaaack!"

"pretzels?"

"NNNNOOOOO!"

And here is where Mama paused momentarily and took a sanity break. Nothing was going to make this kid happy. So I sort of followed an impulse. And tickled him. I tickled him until he was belly laughing and begging for more. Attitude successfully readjusted.

NaNoBloMe

For a while there Facebook took over all my internet energy.  More accurately, I should say SUCKED it all. I'm about over it. I think I've found all the ex boyfriends and the high school buddies and the college roomates and it hasn't changed a thing. I think the addiction originally started when I was HUGELY pregnant in a snowstorm last December. I was trapped inside and so was the majority of my world. Facebook was abuzz. Then I had baby #2 and my physical world became very confined. I lived my life from nap to nap. In 30 seconds I could have the illusion that I was interacting socially while the diapers soaked without taking my eyes off the toddler. But I wasn't. And the loneliness is sinking deep.

Yesterday I met up with some mamas from a play group I used to attend religiously when Gabe was a tiny infant. Around the time our babies started to walk and talk, we disbanded. I have missed them fiercely and am so happy that more and more of us are reconnecting.

In between the Mafia Wars and Farmville postings I have been noticing a surge in blog postings for NaNoBloMo (or whatever....). This got me curious and I went back to check in on several of the blogs I used to follow. All this time I haven't been writing, I also stopped reading blogs. I just stepped back. Not sure why. Its been so fun to see all the lovely mamas I followed through heartache and infertility with beautiful babies and children. Now struggling through the frustrations and joys of parenthood.

I was completely surprised to see that someone actually still links here. That one blogger has not completely written me off as fallen off the face of the planet gives me hope. And inspired me to post. So the rest of you might be posting every day this month, but that I did it at all is my accomplishment.