Exhausted, and it's only 16:30.
I am so exhausted. I love Alana sooo much, but having a child can be absolutely exhausting.
Ever wonder why you rarely see your friends with kids? Hang out with me for a day. Going *anywhere* takes a lot of effort and energy, that I don't necessarily have. Or maybe, you can hang out with Deirdre, who has a 3.5 year old and an 8 month-old. Maybe you can hang out with both of us. Having a kid is absolutely worth it, but OMG, that doesn't take away from the exhaustion factor.
My coworker had a wedding in Tacoma today (which feels like, a billion miles away, and furthermore my rotors sound warped again). The wedding was at 1:30 and I left at 12:15 because it normally takes me at least an hour to get to Tacoma. I didn't want to get there early and have to handle a toddler, so I thought I left at a rather strategic time.
I got there at 12:50. Twelve freaking fifty. Forty minutes early.
We all know how much toddlers love to sit still and Alana is no exception. She ran back and forth and back and forth and back and forth across the rooftop, inside and outside, inside and outside. I'm terrified of heights so I had to give her a sharp "Alana" every time she got near the railing so she wouldn't go near it again.
Fast forward two or so hours later. It's about 3pm and we're just getting to eat. I'm sitting with my coworkers, the only people I know, and Alana is actually doing pretty well. My bosses and coworkers love her and she's still well-behaved despite it being an hour past her nap time.
And then come the speeches.
In the middle of the father of the bride's speech, Alana grabs my empty champagne glass (well, apple cider glass) and smashes is against the table, breaking it in half at the stem. My half of the room gasps. My HR Director (who is AMAZING) grabs the bottom half of the glass and rolls the stained table cloth over the glass. I make a mental note to leave as soon as the speech is over. About two minutes later, Alana throws her head back carelessly and bonks her head on the edge of the table. Luckily, she doesn't cry, she just hugs me tight and we promptly leave.
I don't really get embarrassed with Alana because she's a toddler- you can discipline them thousands of times and be a perfect parent- and yet they still don't necessarily listen. However, after she broke the champagne glass I *was* slightly embarrassed.
We get home and it's now 4:30. I put her down for her nap, two and a half hours later, and she sits in her crib and cries for 45 minutes. I'm hungry at this point so I go downstairs to scoop her up and take her to get pho.
She's buck naked. And she's pooped in her crib.
I use her diaper to scoop up her poop, wash my hands, put a clean diaper on her, and take her to get pho.
The pho, by the way, was amazing.
We get home to eat said pho and she throws her food at me. She's tired, she's a toddler, so I put her to bed. Thirty more minutes of crying ensues and I go get her again.
Finally, she goes to bed at 8:40, cries for 30 seconds, and then is out like a light.
We're getting her a potty tomorrow.
Being a mommy is exhausting.
That said...
I really really love Alana and am thankful for every moment I have with her. She's so amazing and smart. She's learning at a rapid pace and even when she breaks champagne glasses in a public forum, I love her more than words.
Ever wonder why you rarely see your friends with kids? Hang out with me for a day. Going *anywhere* takes a lot of effort and energy, that I don't necessarily have. Or maybe, you can hang out with Deirdre, who has a 3.5 year old and an 8 month-old. Maybe you can hang out with both of us. Having a kid is absolutely worth it, but OMG, that doesn't take away from the exhaustion factor.
My coworker had a wedding in Tacoma today (which feels like, a billion miles away, and furthermore my rotors sound warped again). The wedding was at 1:30 and I left at 12:15 because it normally takes me at least an hour to get to Tacoma. I didn't want to get there early and have to handle a toddler, so I thought I left at a rather strategic time.
I got there at 12:50. Twelve freaking fifty. Forty minutes early.
We all know how much toddlers love to sit still and Alana is no exception. She ran back and forth and back and forth and back and forth across the rooftop, inside and outside, inside and outside. I'm terrified of heights so I had to give her a sharp "Alana" every time she got near the railing so she wouldn't go near it again.
Fast forward two or so hours later. It's about 3pm and we're just getting to eat. I'm sitting with my coworkers, the only people I know, and Alana is actually doing pretty well. My bosses and coworkers love her and she's still well-behaved despite it being an hour past her nap time.
And then come the speeches.
In the middle of the father of the bride's speech, Alana grabs my empty champagne glass (well, apple cider glass) and smashes is against the table, breaking it in half at the stem. My half of the room gasps. My HR Director (who is AMAZING) grabs the bottom half of the glass and rolls the stained table cloth over the glass. I make a mental note to leave as soon as the speech is over. About two minutes later, Alana throws her head back carelessly and bonks her head on the edge of the table. Luckily, she doesn't cry, she just hugs me tight and we promptly leave.
I don't really get embarrassed with Alana because she's a toddler- you can discipline them thousands of times and be a perfect parent- and yet they still don't necessarily listen. However, after she broke the champagne glass I *was* slightly embarrassed.
We get home and it's now 4:30. I put her down for her nap, two and a half hours later, and she sits in her crib and cries for 45 minutes. I'm hungry at this point so I go downstairs to scoop her up and take her to get pho.
She's buck naked. And she's pooped in her crib.
I use her diaper to scoop up her poop, wash my hands, put a clean diaper on her, and take her to get pho.
The pho, by the way, was amazing.
We get home to eat said pho and she throws her food at me. She's tired, she's a toddler, so I put her to bed. Thirty more minutes of crying ensues and I go get her again.
Finally, she goes to bed at 8:40, cries for 30 seconds, and then is out like a light.
We're getting her a potty tomorrow.
Being a mommy is exhausting.
That said...
I really really love Alana and am thankful for every moment I have with her. She's so amazing and smart. She's learning at a rapid pace and even when she breaks champagne glasses in a public forum, I love her more than words.