Hello Dear Boobjuicers and Friends!
I write to you from lovely, snowy Indiana! It's really coming down outside, but luckily my mother-in-law likes to keep the kitchen stocked as though she will be hosting a dinner for 25 five nights in a row at all times. Kiddo, like the California-born child he is, did not care for the snow, and demanded "Up!" every time we stood him on the lawn, despite being wrapped in coat, gloves, scarf, mittens, and awesome waterproof boots. Ah well, our fault for making him a West Coast boy.
We are visiting to help out and cheer up Grandpa, who had half his liver and all of gall bladder removed as part of his battle with metastatic colon cancer. Grandpa is recovering nicely. Hubby came out before and during the surgery for over a week, and I used up some of my use-or-lose leave to stay home with the kiddo.
Holy crap is that hard work.
Which is weird because often I was just sitting or standing still, watching Kiddo do something totally harmless like play with his toys or torture the cat. But one isn't totally relaxed unless Kiddo is asleep, and even then one is as likely as not to be madly doing dishes, cleaning up, moving the laundry along, or trying to (gasp!) sit still in front of the computer for five minutes trying to communicate with some grown-ups.
I got lonely and cranky on day 2, because I had set up tons of playdates and activities, but starting on day 3. That's how I kept myself at all sane - we went out a LOT. Just chasing Kiddo around the apartment seemed like the surest way to go stark raving mad. I even went to a drop-in mama group in hippier-than-thou Northeast Portland, which was a nice break. Turned into snack potluck which was funny - all the mamas had brought snacks, and all the kiddos wanted to try everyone else's snacks. Worked well. Kiddo got VERY used to being stuffed into his carseat by the end of the week! And we made a new friend, out in an ex-burb of PDX with lots of trees and mountains and even a creek in her neighborhood. Plus she made totally killer scones, with tons of butter and whole cream. This is my kind of lady. Her four year old did a great job sharing his toys with my Kiddo, whom I basically just watched running from the play schoolbus (about half the size of my couch) to the Elmo Kitchen (which is freaking hilarious and slightly scary) for three hours. Clearly playdates are the key to the sanity of the stay-at-home parent. That and prioritizing - I decided I would not cook all week. I made lentils the first Sunday but after that it was all packaged tortellini, takeout, and similar fare.
On Wednesday I had a meltdown and yelled at Kiddo. I immediately realized it and apologized, but he had this shocked look on his face that just broke my heart. At nap time I called Hubby and whined and whined about what a wimp I was. Not slightly hard on myself, at all. Nope.
I very much enjoyed all the time with Kiddo, and I'm not sure I have ever been so happy to see my husband as when we picked him up at the airport on Sunday. I refused to be even slightly helpful in the kid department for like the next 24 hours, I think. Everyone find a solo parent this week and give them a huge hug and a standing ovation. PHEW!
We also started our cloth diaper experiment while Daddy was away, which is going really well. Up to this point they just sounded like so much more trouble than disposable, despite all these mamas insisting that no they were not. Well, they clearly are more work than just opening a sack of disposables, but oddly they don't feel like more trouble. I sort of like doing laundry, which probably helps, but it also just becomes a very easy routine. Even dumping the solids in the toilet doesn't seem like that big of a deal - before it was all, "Eeeeew, carry the poopy diaper to the bathroom???" but you know, it's also, "EEEeeeew, a pail full of poo sitting in Kiddo's room?" and after one or two of these transits it just doesn't seem like a big deal. I think I want one of those toilet sprayers for getting the last bit off the diaper so I don't have to go at it with toilet paper, but still, it seems pretty easy. Plus Kiddo clearly likes them better, and his skin is happier. Which makes it all worth it.
So now Hubby and Kiddo are napping, I am baking oatmeal raisin chocolate chip hazelnut cookies (supposed to be walnuts, oops), and life is cozy and pleasant. I do advise against getting colon cancer though. It's a bitch.
Be well all! More travel stories soon!
Much love,
Suzi
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