Category Archives: birthday

August 26, 2011 · 5:38 pm

All I Want For My Birthday Are Riley’s Two Front Teeth

Did I say this week was going swimmingly?  I spoke prematurely.

Riley fell after school yesterday.  On his face.  On his front teeth, to be specific.  Before I continue, you should know that he’s okay.  But, he has cuts inside and outside of his mouth, and his two front teeth are mobile.  That’s dentist talk for loose.  It’s a waiting game now.  Either the teeth will tighten up when the soft tissue in his mouth heals or they won’t.  If they do, they could still “die” in his mouth and turn a dusty, gray color.  If they don’t, they will pull one or both of his front teeth.

Reality check:  No head injury.  No broken bones.  These are his baby teeth. In a few years, his permanent teeth will come in and I’ll laugh about all of this.  

Mama check:  There was a lot of blood!  He might lose his front teeth!  Which would require sedation!  They can give him temporary “fake” teeth, but not until his 2nd year molars come in…and they haven’t yet!  I know a gazillion kids have lost their teeth, but this is my perfect little boy and I don’t want to give up any of them!

I read a blog recently where a woman wrote about how motherhood magnified her best qualities but also revealed her worst flaws.  It’s true that motherhood forces you to look at yourself in the mirror every day, and I didn’t like a lot of what I saw yesterday. 

Most of it is a blur, and I’m sure I did a lot of things right, but what I woke up with today are crystal clear memories of everything I did wrong – how frazzled and panicked I felt, how unsure I was about what to do and where to take Riley, how frustrated I was at Dylan for perpetually misbehaving, whining and interrupting me throughout the whole ordeal, how guilty I felt afterwards (and still now) for being so angry at him and how sad I feel that any of it happened at all.

A family friend just lost her young daughter, Abby, to a long battle with cancer.  I think of Abby often when I’m in a difficult situation.  She had an incredible spirit and more strength and patience than any human being I’ve ever met…besides her mother who endured it, too.  I can’t help thinking about both of them as I sprout gray hairs over baby teeth today and agonize about how I coped (or didn’t) yesterday.

I’ve been in a few tough medical situations myself, but when it’s your child (and when there is a lot of blood), it’s different.  I have to move forward, though, so I’m doing my best to follow Riley’s lead.  It took him some practice, but within a half hour of getting home last night (and after a healthy dose of ibuprofen), he started drinking water from a straw through the side of his mouth and chewing food in the back of his mouth instead of the front.  We put him on a soft food diet like the doctor suggested, but Riley insisted that animal cookies – broken up in small pieces – made him feel better.  Not surprisingly, my magic medicine was a tall, cold glass of wine.  His positive attitude is inspiring, and today he is home from school resting, playing, painting and periodically driving me crazy.  All good signs.

My birthday is in a few weeks.  Until yesterday, my gift wish list included an iPad, iPod (I accidentally washed and dried mine a few months ago…oops), laptop computer and new camera.  Now all I want for my birthday are Riley’s two front teeth.

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Filed under anxiety, birthday, emergency, guilt

July 8, 2011 · 1:56 pm

The Runaway Mama Turns One!

When I realized my blog birthday was coming up, the first thing I did was go back and read my very first post from July 8, 2010.  It was titled “Hello!” and was an introduction of sorts for what I hoped I would accomplish through the blog.  In honor of this special occasion, I thought it might be fun to take a look at what I wrote then and where I am now.

Here’s how it started:

Hello!

For the record, I’ve never actually run away.  It’s just that I sometimes crave experiences outside of my cozy mommy bubble – a bubble that I am eternally grateful to have. 

A year later, I still haven’t run away.  I have, however, proven myself quite capable of horrid, guilt-producing, runaway fantasy-inducing thoughts.  They usually happen very early in the morning, like when Riley wakes up at 5am demanding finger paints, or at bedtime, when the boys flood the bathroom while brushing their teeth.  Sometimes it happens in the middle of the day, too, like when Dylan pees in the toilet while the seat cover is closed and doesn’t seem to notice (or care).  But, I still haven’t packed a bag.  Not yet, anyway.

As for the bubble, I stand by my statement that I’m a Grateful Mama for it, although I’m also thankful the kids are a little bit older and in school a few more hours each day.  So far, I’ve only taken baby steps toward “outside of my cozy mommy bubble” experiences, but imagine the future possibilities!

I went on to write:

You see, I’ve always been curious about the world and motivated to make change, and these qualities have truly been my guide in life.  

Now that I’m a mother, my desire to make a difference is intensified, but, ironically, motherhood is what makes it hard for me to get out and do something about it.  I can barely get a babysitter on a Saturday night!  

What a difference a year makes!  I have not one but three babysitters to call on for an occasional Saturday night out.  This might just be my proudest parenting achievement aside from potty training Dylan.  As for making change, through my blog I’ve made a few people laugh, I’ve heard a few people to say, “Wow, my kid does that, too,” and I’ve even had a few people say, “Thank you.”  That’s change enough for me.  Yes, I often write about shopping, poop and the silly things my boys do, but the shared experience does make a difference.

Then I wrote:

I have the awesome responsibility of raising two little boys to become good men.  In doing so, I know I will contribute something unique and amazing to the world, but it’s sometimes hard to envision this during an average day in my life.

That’s why I’m starting this blog.  More than ever before, I want get out and do something bold and important, but at least for now, it has to happen between naps and play dates and The Backyardigans.

Besides the naps (this precious commodity is long gone), this statement is still pretty accurate.   Parenting is a beast of a job and it pushes me to my limit every day, but I wouldn’t change a thing.  Every day I’m Dylan and Riley’s Mommy makes me a stronger, wiser and more compassionate person.  Raising my boys is bold and important, and there’s no doubt they are unique and amazing.  How could I ever run away from this?

Finally, I wrote:

You’ll learn a lot more about me and my family as I write my way through this, and I can’t wait to get to know you along the journey.  

Thanks for reading!

It’s possible you’ve learned more about me than you really wanted to this past year (my colonoscopy comes to my mind), but good relationships are honest ones.  I have no idea what to expect in year ahead (except that I’ll have to potty train Riley at some point…God help me), but whatever happens, I know I’ll share it with you.

On this blog birthday, I wish for another year of creativity, good health and laughter.  Less whining and a few afternoon naps would be nice, too, but that might be pushing it.

As always, thanks for reading!

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Filed under birthday, Grateful Mama, gratitude, making a difference