Chocolate Toes

This week's opening statement: Mommyhood is hard work!!!!!!!
Avery, my poor baby, has now gone into full colic mode, and his Doctor and I are trying to get to the bottom of it. I have the next week to try out some meds, and if that course of action doesn't show improvement, we are going to start looking for more serious causes. Until then, I am melting what little baby fat is left by pacing the floor constantly trying to soothe the poor littl guy. Luckily (so far) once I finally get him down for the night, I always get a good 3 or 4 hours rest (unless Donovan wakes up:) before Avery gets restless. Anyway, I am holding up just fine...trying to maintain good humor through it all.

As for Donovan, he has taken this choice opportunity to go on a rampage whenever mommy is distracted by little Mr. Avery. There are a few things in our house that are major no-nos and Donovan knows exactly what they are. I honestly think there is like some inexplicable magnetic pull to these objects, because his drive is so relentless in returning (sometimes instantly) these things no matter how much trouble he gets in. These things are: the kitty litter (no its not a sand box), the cat food/water dishes (which are now moved up high!), the garbage can, mommy's cherished cookbooks, and the cupboard under the kitchen sink that has all the cleaners in it (remember the windex). It is for these things that he gets out of bed in the morning, and it is for these things that I would rather NOT get out of bed in the morning. Oh, and I can't leave out that he likes to turn on the dishwasher, the oven light, and just reach whatever his little fingers can grab off the kitchen counter. He has magnificently long arms by the way...they might look tiny, but they can go on for miles in order to get what he wants. I must add that that EVERY SINGLE ONE of the above mentioned objects are highly baby-proofed, with all of the locks and blocks you could ever want...but I guess none of them were designed with Donovan in mind. He is going to be an engineer, I tell ya.
Luckily he is talking a little more, and he always gets this big manly voice when he sees something decidedly adult...like knives, scissors, or anything hot. And he will in his deep gruff voice comment on the "sharp"ness or "hot"ness of the said items. So as long as he keeps talking himself through that kind of trouble, than many of those sorts of disasters can be avoided.

Dinnertime with Daddy is a circus, since Donnie Joe eats in his chair for a whole five minutes and then alternates between daddy's lap or navigating the many blockades and climbing onto the far end of table to try and grab things while either daddy or I or both try to ourselves navigate the blockades to get him down. Not to mention that no matter WHEN we sit down to eat, Avery instantly knows it and is not happy unless he is in my arms. So while I struggle to cut my meat, hold onto Avery, and corral Donovan, Joey and I might even get a small conversation inbetween...and I do always clean my plate one way or another. See...mission accomplished.

HOW DO I DO IT WITHOUT LOSING MY MIND?
LADIES....MOMS and MOMS to BE....keep this in mind...here are my secrets to sanity and survival:
1. I don't set goals. At this point in my life, goals mean trouble, because you never meet them and then you feel like you are just failing all the time. Without goals, every thing I accomplish is a victory. As long as everyone survives the day, the day is won...and if I took a shower or managed to do laundry or dishes, I feel as proud as if I won the Olympics with a gold medal. And if I do any of the above things PLUS something extra...like run an errand or scrapbook or sew...then I have won a PLATINUM medal...which is so good that they don't even have those for the Olympics yet.

2. Laugh. Find the humor in it...and share that humor, because we have all been there at one time or another.