Monthly Archives: August 2011

August 29, 2011 · 3:05 pm

It’s A Mad, Automatic Toilet-Flushing World

I’m proud of Dylan for wetting his bed.  Last night was the very first night he ever slept without a pull-up on.  Accident or not, for a child who holds on for dear life to everything that makes him feel like a baby, it was a big deal for him to sleep in underwear.

I’m proud of Dylan for not eating his chicken for dinner.  A few weeks ago he would have refused to go within ten feet of a plate with new food on it.  Last night, he ate everything but the new food (chicken and corn), but he didn’t make a peep about any of it being on the plate.  (Progress!)

I’m proud of Dylan for holding his hands over his ears while he peed.  Yesterday, we were in a public bathroom where the toilets flushed automatically.  It was a stressful situation for him, but instead of running away, he came up with a solution all by himself.

Seeing our children for who they are rather than who we think they should be is a humbling experience.  They are strange and beautiful creatures trying to make their way in a mad, automatic toilet-flushing world, and we must always be there to cheer for them, even when it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

I feel pride about many things my kids do, but it’s the hard to see accomplishments that truly fill me up.  I know it’s Guilty Mama Monday, but today I’m a Proud Mama.

Any other Proud or Guilty Mamas out there?

Don’t forget to vote for The Runaway Mama for the 2011 CBS Miami Most Valuable Blogger Awards.  To vote, click on the badge at the top left corner of this page.  You can vote every day until September 9th.  Thanks!

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Filed under Guilty Mama, Proud Mama

August 27, 2011 · 8:53 pm

Ambulance Mama

If I was a Helicopter Mama on Wednesday (I do hover…sometimes), I became an Ambulance Mama on Thursday afternoon around 2:45pm when Riley’s face hit the pavement.  Now, every move he makes sets off sirens in my head.

Going down a slide.  (Climbing up the ladder before going down the slide!)  Getting in and out of the bath.  Roughhousing with Dylan (or Daddy).  Climbing in and out of bed.  Running.  Walking.  Talking.  Eating.  Sleeping.

We went to an indoor play space this morning, and within a few minutes of arriving I had to stop watching him.  Everything he did, from playing with trucks to riding a tricycle, put me in a state of panic.  I kept saying, “Riley, be careful.”  After a while, I couldn’t stand the sound of my own voice.  It reminded me of when Dylan was newly potty trained and I asked him a thousand times a day, “Do you have to pee?”  Even I wanted to tell myself to shut up.

Accidents happen, I know.  And when I think about how many frightening falls Riley has had (a few nose dives from Dylan’s bunk bed come to mind), it’s amazing that his “face plant” in the cement on Thursday afternoon was the first accident that sent us racing to the doctor.

I’ve been called a nervous Nellie all my life, and motherhood hasn’t helped break the cycle one bit.  Now, it appears I’m breaking new ground.  At any moment, there could be screaming, crying, blood, fear, panic and that awful adrenaline that forces me into fight or flight mode and, in the end, leaves me depleted of all physical, emotional and intellectual energy for days.

Thankfully, Riley is starting to feel better.  He even bit straight into a grilled cheese sandwich at lunch today, which, of course, terrified me.  I hope as his wounds heal, the volume of the sirens going off in my head will diminish, but for now, this nervous Nellie is living in a state of emergency.

Is anyone else out there an Ambulance Mama?

p.s. To everyone in Irene’s path, stay safe!

p.p.s. Don’t forget to vote for The Runaway Mama for the 2011 CBS Miami Most Valuable Blogger Awards.  To vote, click on the badge at the top left corner of this page.  You can vote every day until September 9th.  Thanks!

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Filed under anxiety, emergency, motherhood