Mommy Brain

I have heard several references to "pregnancy brain." I am sure it is a real thing, but I don't know that I suffered from it much. I am, however, daily dealing with "Mommy brain," and I almost feel like a different person. A list follows of the worst offenses:

• I lost a stroller. Not an umbrella stroller, not Ellie's baby stroller, not even a large single stroller. A huge, heavy double stroller. Not during a long and wonderful outing, but during a 20 minute trip to the park that was cut short because Lanie hates her carseat. I can hardly say more than that because I don't want to start obsessing over it again. Thanks to our wonderful, gracious parents, said stroller has been replaced. I hope someone else's life is changed through the use of our other one!


• I made cookies with baking powder rather than baking soda. It wouldn't matter except that if you use the same amount of soda, you can actually taste it. It would be more understanding if I hadn't done the same thing several years ago and promised I would never do it again. Seriously, they were GROSS. Joshua had one, and I watched him trying to eat the individual sprinkles off of the cookie!


• I took Lanie to her 2-month doctor's appointment a little early...

There have been a couple of other major issues, but I can't even remember them right now!

Cleaning with Kids

HA...! :) I imagine that no one ever finishes a to-do list. As soon as you do, there is something else to do. Well, I have had a running to-do list of cleaning tasks since we moved in to our house that had been "cleaned" by the property management company. Today, I reached that rare place where it seemed nothing was pressing AND I had a burst of energy and motivation. I put Ellie in bed for her nap, and I spent some bubble time and Play-Doh time with Joshua. We tried out a new recipe together, and then I set to work on the baseboards and leftover grease-grime from who-knows-how-many-tenants before us. (In my defense, I have attempted this once before, but it needed a second round.) Joshua did great for awhile with his trucks and blocks strewn around me. About halfway around the kitchen, Ellie woke up. Now, she is perfectly happy to play in her crib for awhile, so we let her. However, the inevitable happened, and Joshua was ready for a diaper change. I pulled off my gloves and figured that while I was taking a break, I might as well get Ellie up. And since it was close to lunch time, we might as well have lunch. Which was followed by a near-immediate meltdown by Joshua who was ready for a nap. And then I realized I needed to clean the kitchen. By the time I finished that, Ellie was hollering because she can't crawl to the toys she loses yet. That mop bucket with the gloves hanging over the side is going to have to wait a little longer. Ellie and I hang out in the living room for awhile, and I dust. She is throwing one fit after another, it seems, so maybe she is ready for a nap. I put her in bed, and one hour later, she is still yelling (playfully) in her bed. I guess she wasn't quite ready to sleep! And here I sit, my burst of motivation and energy spent, telling you about the mop bucket that is still sitting in the kitchen...

Are you in there?

One of Joshua's favorite daily distractions is our back balcony. He loves to watch the chickens and crawl around. He also recently realized that he could find me in the kitchen through the window. According to David, Joshua probably thinks that I "live" in there. It might be true because he looks for me through the window even when I am not in the kitchen. He doesn't believe that I am not in there until he sees me pop my head out of the door of our bedroom.

My idea of vacation

I approached this summer thinking we weren't really going to have a vacation. It is true, if a vacation is leaving the country. However, we just finished a little stay in Beirut with David's sisters, and I realized that it was TOTALLY a vacation. I thought of the ways that, in 9 short months of being a Mom, my idea of vacation has changed a lot. I guess I should say being a Mom where we live. I have to qualify this list by saying that we have lots of friends that live in more difficult places than we do, but I am simply sharing from my new perspective. The things I enjoyed and appreciated most about our little getaway:

• with few exceptions, 24 hour power... which means air conditioners the whole time you sleep, which means I did not wake up every 2 hours to feel how hot it was.
• endless food options that did not require my cooking or washing dishes
• lots of walking to get nearly anywhere you want to go
• bagel with cream cheese for breakfast... yes, I really did order it at a coffee shop, and I definitely saved the cream cheese that squeezed off of my little sandwich. You wouldn't think it was gross if you didn't have the option to eat it all the time!
• coffeeshops across the street from each other and on every corner... with American-style coffee! Not instant coffee, and not with powdered creamer...mmmmmmm
• sitting at previously mentioned coffee shop for 2 hours with sisters-in-law while Joshua, David, and Andrew had a "guys' morning.":-)
• bathing Joshua in a real bathtub; he LOVED it! We are going to have to figure something out at home because during his first bath at home, he successfully emptied a good portion of bath water on me as well as the kitchen floor
• and finally, the indicator that I am, at heart, a city girl: I was relieved to hear construction and honking at all hours of the day and night rather than our neighbors, their roosters, their dogs, and their screaming kids at all hours of the day and night. I think I actually thought the village sounds were charming at first, but I guess that has worn off.

Not your typical Saturday

There are three things that are strange about today. First of all, it is Saturday. That is not strange in and of itself, but just wait. It is Saturday, and it is not the weekend. I understand that there are different "holy days" in different cultures, but it cannot be a "week end" if the days off are not together and at the end of the week! It is also Mother's Day today. So, let's review. Mother's Day... on a Saturday... when kids are all in school and parents are working. I am not trying to be narrow-minded; it is just strange to me! Oh, well, Happy Mother's Day!

Adjusting to a new season of life

This week a friend invited me to spend time with her. It was the end of a day when I had been out for awhile, and I was deep into straightening and cleaning our house. I knew it was not an ideal time, but I didn't want to turn down the opportunity. As soon as I hung up the phone, I started to realize all the reasons why it was much more than "not ideal," but it would simply not work. I wrestled with whether to just deal with it or call back and cancel. I found that my decision-making process looks entirely different now as a Mom. I wanted to go because it would be nice to see this friend, and it has always been difficult to connect with her. I was tired, but I could just rest later. The problem is that I don't just factor in myself any more, and I knew Joshua would be exhausted. Plus, I would need to feed him right after his nap, which was when they wanted to pick me up. The determining factor was the carseat situation. I had Joshua's carseat at home, but there is never a guarantee of functioning seatbelts in someone else's car. So, rather than "saving face" and sticking with my original "yes," I opted for my baby's safety and needs. It is often easy to sacrifice what I want, but it is a new realm when I am responsible for his well-being! (It is worth mentioning that most people here would not understand the carseat reason! They just hold children and babies of all ages in their laps or dangling from their hip on the motorcycle or in the car!)