Vote For Me!

Just the other day, I asked you for suggestions for my Mother’s Day Wishlist. Many of you suggested a Spa Day, but I must admit that I’ve never been to a spa before. In fact, the last time I got my hair trimmed was June 2007 and the occasion was my infant son’s baptism. I’ve never had a manicure or a pedicure. EVER.

The thought has crossed my mind that I might enjoy a little pampering. Growing up, my mother never showed me how to curl my hair or apply make-up. She was a little busy struggling with her own mental illness to worry about whether or not I had an appropriate up-do for the prom. I still mourn the moments I wanted to share with my mom but those moments were stolen by her disease.

This Mother’s Day, I have been given an opportunity to enjoy the spa day that I’ve never had. I recently entered a Mother’s Day Makeover Contest hosted by a local television station and I’m one of three finalists!

The only thing I need to win this contest is YOUR VOTE!

What do you get out of this deal? The amusement of seeing my before and after photos of course! Just imagine, I’ll be spending at least a week blogging about my hair instead of blogging about the contents of my son’s diapers. That alone should be incentive enough for you!

Go here to vote.

Tell everyone you know to vote, too!

When you’re done, come back here and tell me that I’m winning!

Wordless Wednesday: All Night!!

I have so much to say today that I can't keep it wordless!

Read all about the signifigance of this photo here.

Check out more Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom.

The Moment We’ve All Been Waiting For

Anyone that reads my blog with any kind of regularity (probably just me, myself and I) knows that I like to gripe and complain because my kid is almost 14 months old and doesn’t sleep through the night.

Anyone that reads my blog also knows that it’s my own darn fault because I have working mommy guilt. I still nurse Little King David to sleep at night and I allow him to wake up at 2:00am and snack if the thought occurs to him. I could simply wean him off the night feedings and my problems would be solved. I’m just too sentimental and weak to deny my son the comfort he seeks from his Mama during the too few hours of his life when she is actually available to him. Is it his fault that Mama is home in the middle of the night, but not in the middle of the day?

I’m not the only person to blame for his dependency issues, though. At daycare, he also needs help to fall asleep. Obviously, there is no one available to nurse him to sleep, but his favorite-teacher-of-all-time does spend about 20 minutes a day patting his butt while he lays in his crib and drifts off to sleep. Tiny babies wail all around him while he is pampered and spoiled. Do you see a pattern emerging here?

Luckily, David met Miss Jill last week. Miss Jill is the new teacher’s aide in his classroom. Miss Jill doesn’t pamper and spoil. Her first day on the job, she told David to lie down and go to sleep. David laid down and went to sleep.

Surely, this must be a coincidence. Surely, this couldn’t work once David got to know Miss Jill. But day after day, Miss Jill told David to go to sleep and David went to sleep.

Yesterday, David’s favorite-teacher-of-all-time decided to give it a try. She put David in his crib and walked away. David went to sleep.

Last night, Mommy decided that if David can fall asleep alone at daycare then he certainly might be capable of falling asleep alone at home.

Mommy nursed David and laid him in his crib. She sat in the rocking chair and told David to lie down. After about 20 minutes of playing and bouncing, David simply laid down in his crib and fell asleep.

Mommy sat in the dark with tears rolling down her cheeks. David is a big boy. He doesn’t need Mommy’s help to go to sleep anymore. He doesn’t need Mommy to hug him and cuddle him and rock him and soothe him until his eyes slide closed. He doesn’t need Mommy to gingerly lay him in his crib, cover him with his favorite, soft blanket, and tip-toe out the door while carefully avoiding the creaking floorboards.

Mommy reminds herself that it’s her goal as a mother to teach David not to need her. He needs to be independent, but each step he takes away from her breaks her heart just a little bit more.

David also slept through the night! Mommy won’t shed a single tear about that!!

Motherhood Moment

5 Minutes for Mom is hosting a Mother’s Day Photo Contest.

This is a photo of my baby bump. This picture was taken when I was 32 weeks pregnant with my first child, the love of my life.

I never had a belly that was sexy enough to show off in a bikini, and probably never will based on the aftermath of pregnancy, but my pregnant belly was a beautiful work of art.

Before I was pregnant, I used to scoff at women that were so eager to touch pregnant people without asking permission. I subscribe to the school of thought that everyone has their own personal space, a kind of bubble that protects them from the outside world. I feel that it is rude for strangers to intrude on this space.

Once my baby bump sprouted, I immediately understood the irresistible urge women feel to touch pregnant people. That priceless moment when you feel the power of the life growing inside another woman’s body, brings back all the memories and feelings from the most amazing time in a mother’s life. Memories of days spent in the most intimate contact with our children, nurturing their growing bodies and protecting them from the world. These are memories that we cling to as we watch our children grow up and venture out into the world on their own.

I miss my baby bump.

Nature Versus Nurture

Scientists and psychologists have long debated nature versus nurture. Are we born with our personality traits or do we learn them from our environment? Little King David has finally answered that question for all of us.

First of all, I need to tell you that Mommy and Daddy adhere to certain rules regarding sharing. Neither of us can eat the last cookie, use the last piece of toilet paper, drink the last glass of milk, use the last of the salt, or take the last sip of coffee from the pot on Saturday morning. If we get Chinese food and there is an uneven number of fried dumplings, the last dumpling will never be touched. It’s just the way it is.

One might conclude that this pattern has evolved over time. If you consider that we’ve lived together for over eight years, it’s reasonable to assume that we each brought different customs and practices to the relationship and over time we have created our own home culture. Our customs include sharing everything and never taking the last of something in a vain attempt to always be considerate of the other person.

It seems that David is assimilating to our customs.

He proved this to me the other day when he decided to share his snacks with me. Actually, he didn’t decide to share them with me as much as I used it as a diversion to convince him that he was not finished with the grapes and cheese that I spent ten minutes chopping up for him and that he needed to eat more than two bites after all the work I did!

We chatted as he fed me:

David: gestures with hands, “All Done!”

Mommy: “You can’t be done already! You only ate a couple grapes and Mommy spent so much time chopping them up for you!”

David: gestures with hands, “All Done!”

Mommy: “Do you want to feed Mommy?”

David: nods head, “Yes! Yes!”

Mommy: “Give Mommy a grape”

David: gently places a grape in Mommy’s mouth

Mommy: “Mmmm! That’s yummy!! Do you want a grape?”

David: nods head, “Yes! Yes!” and eats a grape

Mommy: “Give Mommy a grape”

David: gently places a grape in Mommy’s mouth

Mommy: “Mmmm! That’s yummy!! Do you want a grape?”

David: nods head, “Yes! Yes!” and eats a grape

David: realizes that he ate the last grape. He promptly spits it out, half chewed, and places it in Mommy’s mouth.

David: gestures with hands, “All Done!”

Evidently, the rules have evolved.

You may not eat the last grape, even if you have already chewed it.

Alexander's Heart

I love Wednesdays.

Wordless Wednesday is a perfect excuse to slack. I slap up a cute photo of the kid on my blog and resume my web-surfing without guilt. (other than the guilt of web-surfing at work while I’m getting paid to be working, but that is minor guilt.)

I posted my obligatory photo today and went about my business reading blogs while I munched my lunch at my desk. I was enjoying myself until I stumbled upon a link for this blog. After browsing for a few moments, I found myself consumed with grief and sobbing into my yogurt cup.

I understand that God gives us all trials because they help us grow closer to him. I understand that every life has a purpose. I understand that we all touch others around us, and we usually aren’t even aware of the impact we have on the world. Today, Alexander touched my world. I am in awe of the tremendous love his sister, Hailey, has for him and for others. I’m impressed by her desire to help others.

I think you’ll be impressed, too.

Go read her family’s story at her blog, Alexander’s Heart.

Wordless Wednesday: Scarface

Little King David is walking...

and falling.

Visit 5 Minutes for Mom for more Wordless Wednesday.