Thursday, September 6, 2012

Rally, Preschool, and CPR

Hello Dear Readers!

This weekend found me Single Momming it as I had sent my husband home to cheer up his parents and play IT support. Recall that colon cancer sucks. Gary is doing very well all things considered. But the suckage is undisputed. Well, I'm pleased to report that not only did I have the same number of kids at the end of the weekend as I did at the beginning of the weekend, and the house was still standing, but we actually had a nice time! I got an absurd quantity of laundry done (for some reason I'm really good at cranking through laundry), the dishes done, I made soup and chicken stock, Robert and I made cookies, we had friends over to dinner, and - sit down for this one - we went to a rally. The last thing remotely resembling a political demonstration which found me in attendance was in 1996. The environmental canvas I worked for took over a town counsel meeting. I forget why. We didn't want them to do something or other. But generally I don't like large group political demonstrations of any sort. I dislike crowds, and some idiot always starts chanting "eat kittens" or something else which is clearly nonsense but with which it is difficult to disassociate oneself if one is standing in the same large group of sign wavers.

So why go to this one? Ah, well, just one step removed from a Rally to Support Moms Pumping Breastmilk in the Workplace, this was about improving the birth experience for mamas and babies in this country. (Birth rally on Labor Day - get it? tee hee.) Recall my VBAC story. This gets me where I live, as it were. Actually come to think of it I have no idea what people mean when they say that - but this really matters to me. My heart said I have to put my day off where my heart is and show up. So we did. Me and Preschooler and Baby and some snacks and a stroller and the ergo carrier and purse and diaper bag... thank goodness it wasn't some huge, tightly packed crowd. Actually it was about the mellowest rally ever. Like a giant play date. With midwives and doulas and other radical wacky folk like that. It was awesome. I met interesting mamas working to help mamas and babies, many of them as an avocation and passion like me. We didn't even get a sunburn.

Fast forward three days. We went to our lovely co-op preschool for a sort of dress-rehearsal half day today. Have I mentioned how much I love my nice quiet office, with a door, and a computer, and assignments that make it totally legit to sit still and ignore all humans for minutes on end? I was totally overstimulated the minute I walked in the door. And at that point only three preschoolers were there, and one of them was mine. This bodes ill for me doing any co-op shifts this year. Mostly of course that will be my SAHD hubby's job, but I will be on call in case he is ill or something. Eek. So I took Jackie downstairs to the young toddlers room for a bit. Surely that will be more mellow, right? Sure, until she chokes on watermelon. Another mama complimented me on how calmly I handled it, just getting up from the table, carrying Jackie a few feet away, and beginning my Red Cross rescue for choking infant maneuvers, just as I was so well trained by that fine and important organization. Poor kiddo really had a chunk lodged in there. And now I'm convinced all the other parents think I'm a horrible, negligent mother who nearly kills her daughter on a regular basis.

Sigh.

I'm a really good investment advisor... Seriously I've never killed a single client.

Much love,
Suzi

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