Three Things for Friday

Hi All,

Happy Friday to you out there in blog-reading land. My brain is feeling scrambled so I'll offer my thoughts as a little list:

1. Tent in my living room
I have to give props to my husband for this one. We have this cute little tent that was supposed to be a perfect spot away from the sand at the beach. Well, guess what? It heats up like a little oven when it's sitting in the sun, so for two years it's lived under our bed. For who knows what reason, a few days ago my husband was inspired. He pulled it out from under the bed and set it up in the living room and H is having a great time with it. She reads in it, parks her doll stroller in there, zips down the zipper then crawls out the bottom flap -- it's super cool. Currently, I believe there's a pumpkin in there. See? It's even seasonally appropriate. 

2. Mommy versus Amy
H knows my name is "Amy" and she sometimes calls me by it, which is cute. I do prefer Mommy though and I actually have no problem being branded as "H's Mommy." I remember dropping H off at daycare a couple months ago and a little boy piped up: "H's Mommy's here!" My heart swelled with pride. "Yes!" I thought, "that's who I am." We're all different in this world of ours and I understand how some folks might feel their own sense of identity or self slips away a bit when they're known only as someone's mom, but... boy, it feels good to me. Maybe it's a part of still marveling after two plus years of it that I get to be a mom -- and to someone so lovely, fantastic, and fun. I do feel privileged to wear that badge. 

3. Didn't know that'd be hard
And from the "didn't know that'd be hard" column, which turns out to be surprisingly long: back before I was a mommy it never occurred to me how complicated it would be to decide what to do when your baby is sick. H woke up hot to the touch and low energy this morning (in our bed, but that's another story). At first we figured we'd send her to school. We've passed the point of totally freaking out every time she has a cough and now, I admit, we push the limit ever so slightly on what's acceptable for daycare attendance. She is getting molars and that can cause fever, but yeah, probably not the case here. I felt wiggly about it, but for one reason and another, it seemed the best and only choice. I actually left the apartment and walked down the block before realizing what needed to happen.

I came back and met hubby and H in the hallway, just leaving, and wound up taking her in a car service to my Dad, who is both retired and wonderful, and then hopped on a train to work. I was about two hours late, but I also did get work done today. Yeesh. She's had a good day (though she woke up with a fever after nap) with her Papa and we'll stay over tonight. This was definitely the right decision for this episode, but never did it occur to me that it would be complicated to figure out.

OK out there in blogosphere land,
Have a great weekend and may all your babies be healthy and happy,
Amy

Comments

[kristin kline]

i love that 'tent in the house' idea and so do my kids. my 8 year old once had my husbands tent in his bedroom set up. my 2 year old daughter wanted to be in the tent with her bubby and they both had so much fun that night. i gave them little snacks and books for him to read to her. thankfully, this weekend, the kids and i are going to a campground with my in-laws for a halloween thing. my husband is in the army, so he'll be going to drill :(

that's no good to hear that your daughter was a bit sick, but you feel you have to go with your motherly instinct and do what you think is best. i know i still freak out if my kids start coughing. i pamper them even more when they do.

[Dianna FLeisher-Benz]

I loved "2.Mommy versus Amy"! The sentiment of this article channels an ideal vision of motherhood. Even though I'm sure the challenges are incredible the recognition of mothering a child as a privilege is the mentality that has the capability of not only guiding human nature to a more understanding and compassionate state, but also acting as a positive force in the modern feminist's struggle.

Amy, your blogs are fantastic! Hope you and the team are doing well!

[Amy]

Hi Dianna!

Great to see you here. How'd you find me?

It's been a real eye opener, as a woman who self identifies as a feminist, to find what's right for me as a mom. I've definitely been reminded that feminism, for me, is all about personal choices and having the freedom to decide what works best for me (that might not work best for someone else).

Hope everything is going well with you. We miss you here.

Amy