Tuesday, February 15, 2005

One of those days . . .

It’s been one of those dramatic days where I want to go out and do something drastic. Like sky dive or get a tattoo. Maybe I’ll just settle for a new hair-do instead.

We did have a lovely weekend, though. Our friends, the Fears, came up from Fresno to stay with us for a few days. Peter and Kevin attended the state GOP convention and Debra and I hung out with their two little kids, Hannah and Daniel. Hannah just turned two. She is very adorable. (Understatement.) She is also very smart. She can identify shapes like parallelograms, trapezoids, and pentagons. Apparently, her mom said, she got bored with ordinary shapes, like triangles and squares, and needed a new challenge. She also knows exactly who her governor is. It was funny to hear her say "Arnold Schwarzenegger!"

This past weekend I got a snapshot of just how dramatically my life is going to change in just five short months. All you young moms out there are going to groan at my ignorance . . . but I forgot all about the fact that little kids need so many naps! At this current stage in life, Kevin and I have absolutely no set schedule. We pick up and go whenever we want and we often take day trips or weekend trips. Will all of this come to a complete halt next July? I realize that parenthood doesn’t leave room for selfishness. But I’m now understanding just how selfless I’m going to have to be.

Some of you reading the above paragraph probably think I’m a very myopic person. I guess I could pretend to be an extremely godly person and just shut up and not reveal my true thoughts. Or, perhaps, lie to you and say that I’m looking forward to leading a quieter life. If I said that, you’d probably think more highly of me; but it wouldn’t be an accurate picture of who I am. So, instead, I’ll just be honest and reveal that one aspect of parenthood I’m dreading is the fact that we won’t be able to be as spontaneous or to whimsically chase after every possible adventure. But, in the end, I know it will be worth it – please don’t get me wrong.
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Valentines was fun. We opted to eat a nice, candlelit dinner at home (instead of fighting the restaurant crowds) and I had a lot of fun preparing it. We grilled a steak and I cut out little heart-shaped pieces of bread to make cheese toast. I also dyed the sour cream (for the potatoes) a pretty shade of pink. After dinner, Kevin went on a treasure hunt I’d prepared for him. I had cut out red hearts with clues listing “reasons why I love you.” (e.g., I love you because you’re a financial whiz, hiding the clue in the checkbook; or I love you because you’re a musician, hiding the clue in the CD rack). Amazingly, I made all the clues rhyme. This was a big feat, considering the fact I’m not that great of a poet. I suppose it’s evidence that a woman in love will go to drastic measures to please her man. After the treasure hunt we watched a chick flick we hadn’t seen before and both of us cried. It was such a wonderfully sappy evening.

3 comments:

Jeanette said...

My mom is a home-school mother of 10. In my growing up years, and even today, she has, at times, talked about all the things she could be doing (and yes, at times, she thinks she'd even prefer it!) other than being a Mom. And you know, her honesty never made me feel like she somehow was a bad mother or not a godly woman. I think it is through her honesty that I have a much better picture of what it is to be a mother. It's not always rosy, and there will be days you'll probably think, "what was I thinking?" but if you're anything like my mom, in the end you'll know the blessings far outweigh the inconveniences. There's nothing wrong with your feelings on this....though I can't say from my own experience, my mom would say you're quite normal. :) Blessings to you both!

O.E. said...

Sounds like you guys made a special Valentine's Day celebration! I must admit, I'm taking notes on the ideas, like hiding the hearts around the house... something to look forward to!

I have a new computer with a more advanced operating system, so I will now be able to comment on your blog. Woot!

Queen of Carrots said...

Ah yes, the nap thing. (And then factor in the many children who don't sleep well anywhere but their own beds.)

But the nice thing is that after the initial recovery stage, once you actually feel like going somewhere, the baby is still quite flexible and portable for several months. Just get a little baby carrier for them to nap in, and off you go. It's only now that taking D1 along places is starting to get to be a real challenge, since she needs wiggle room. So you have time to gradually adapt to the changes needed.